British Indian Ocean Territory
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT |
| Gevernment type | Islamic republic |
| Capital |
name: Kabul
geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 12 E time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag |
| Currency | both the British Pound (GBP) and the US Dollar (USD) are accepted |
| Internet country code | .io |
| Ports and terminals | Diego Garcia |
| Agriculture products | opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins |
| Industries | small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper |
| Geography |
| Location | archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E |
| Continent | Political Map of the World |
| Area |
total: 54,400 sq km
land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands |
| Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 698 km |
| Climate | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds |
| Terrain | flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation) |
| Natural resources | coconuts, fish, sugarcane |
| Natural hazards | NA |
| People |
| Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4% |
| Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1% |
| Languages | Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism |
