diego garcia chagos archipelago

Location of Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. [101][102] A biological survey conducted in early 2005 indicated erosional effects of the tsunami wave on Diego Garcia and other islands of the Chagos Archipelago. [130] While the naval and airbase facilities on Diego Garcia are leased to the United States, in practice, it operates as a joint UK-US base, with the UK retaining full and continual access. HHS Secretary Alex Azar to Trump: Capitol raid will 'tarnish' our health legacy The total land area (excluding peripheral reefs) is around 30 km2 (12 sq mi). It then became part of the Chagos Archipelago, which belonged to the newly created British Indian Ocean Territory. UK represents the territory internationally. [83], Diego Garcia is the largest land mass in the Chagos Archipelago (which includes Peros Banhos, the Salomon Islands, the Three Brothers, the Egmont Islands, and the Great Chagos Bank), being an atoll occupying approximately 174 square kilometres (67 sq mi), of which 27.19 square kilometres (10 sq mi) is dry land. Greens have been observed nesting in every month; the average female lays three clutches per season, each having an average clutch size of 113 eggs. Terrestrial reptiles and freshwater amphibians, United States Air Force units based on Diego Garcia, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Far East Detachment Diego Garcia, Naval Security Group Detachment Diego Garcia. In February 2019, the International Court of Justice offered an advisory opinion that Britain’s decolonization of Mauritius was not completed lawfully because of the continued claims over the Chagos Archipelago. There are two transnational political issues which affect Diego Garcia and the BIOT, through the British government. The U.N. General Assembly, Pope Francis, international courts and a host of other stakeholders support those claims. “This joint facility plays a critical role in maintaining regional and international peace and security. Diego Garcia is the largest of the islands in the Chagos Archipelago. Sunday, August 2, 2020, Joe Biden missed many opportunities to learn about son’s business dealings. The United States saw the atoll as the "Malta of the Indian Ocean" equidistant from all points. “But you must obey international institutions.”. ... Mauritius says it was forced to trade the small archipelago in the Indian Ocean in 1965 for independence. HMG would like to establish a "marine park" or "reserve" providing comprehensive environmental protection to the reefs and waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) official informed Polcouns on 12 May. These studies indicate the vegetation of the island may be changing rapidly. [56], In 2004, US Navy recruitment literature described Diego Garcia as being one of the world's best-kept secrets, boasting great recreational facilities, exquisite natural beauty, and outstanding living conditions.[57]. [42], Following the fall of the Shah of Iran and the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979–1980, the West became concerned with ensuring the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States received permission for a $400-million expansion of the military facilities on Diego Garcia consisting of two parallel 12,000-foot-long (3,700 m) runways, expansive parking aprons for heavy bombers, 20 new anchorages in the lagoon, a deep-water pier, port facilities for the largest naval vessels in the American or British fleet, aircraft hangars, maintenance buildings and an air terminal, a 1,340,000 barrels (213,000 m3) fuel storage area, and billeting and messing facilities for thousands of sailors and support personnel. The United … Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean, is the site of a major US military base and was leased from Britain in 1966 [Reuters] Most inhabitants of Diego Garcia through the period 1793–1971 were plantation workers, but also included Franco-Mauritian managers, Indo-Mauritian administrators, Mauritian and Seychellois contract employees, and in the late 19th century, Chinese and Somali employees. "There is a national consensus that we are not going to force the Americans to leave the Chagos Archipelago or the island of Diego Garcia, where they have got the base." Quiz: Can you pass this general physics test? At Cannon Point,[27] two 6-inch naval guns were installed by a Royal Marines detachment. [12][13] In a written statement, the U.S. government said that neither the Americans nor the British have any plans to discontinue use of the military base on Diego Garcia. Several endemic fish and aquatic invertebrates are present, though. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a British overseas territory. Ladwig III, Walter C., Andrew S. Erickson, and Justin D. Mikolay. [74] On 31 July 2008, an unnamed former White House official alleged that the United States had imprisoned and interrogated at least one suspect on Diego Garcia during 2002 and possibly 2003. “The specific arrangement involving the facilities on Diego Garcia is grounded in the uniquely close and active defense and security partnership between the United States and the United Kingdom. Quiz: Can you name this TV sitcom by its theme song lyric? It is one of two critical US bomber bases in the Asia Pacific region, along with Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Pacific Ocean. He agreed that the UK and United States should carefully negotiate the details of the marine reserve to assure that United States interests were safeguarded and the strategic value of BIOT was upheld. Charles D. Hunt "Hydrogeology of Diego Garcia". The statement said in a footnote: "In 2016, there were discussions between the United Kingdom and the United States concerning the continuing importance of the joint base. [54] According to David Vine, "Today, at any given time, 3,000 to 5,000 US troops and civilian support staff live on the island. [140], United States military activities in Diego Garcia have caused friction between India and the United States in the past. [85], In the lagoon, numerous coral heads present hazards to navigation. [119], No mammal species are native on Diego Garcia, with no record of bats. Scientific expeditions in 1996 and 2006 described the lagoon and surrounding waters of Diego Garcia, along with the rest of the Chagos Archipelago, as "exceptionally unpolluted" and "pristine". Juvenile hawksbills are quite common in the lagoon and at Barachois Sylvane (also known as Turtle Cove) in the southern part of the lagoon. Laws and regulations are promulgated by the commissioner and enforced in the BIOT by Brit rep. Of major concern to the BIOT administration is the relationship with the United States military forces resident on Diego Garcia. State Department officials told The Washington Times that the U.S. “unequivocally supports U.K. sovereignty” over the islands and suggested that a change in ownership of Diego Garcia could have a negative impact on American security. At the outer edge of the reef shelf, the bottom slopes very steeply into deep water, at some locations dropping to more than 450 m (1,500 ft) within 1 km (0.62 mi) of the shore. [3], Between 1968 and 1973, the now unemployed farm workers were forcibly removed from Diego Garcia by the UK Government so a joint US/UK military base could be established on the island. Diego Garcia's seabird community includes thriving populations of species which are rapidly declining in other parts of the Indian Ocean. In 1968, the first tactics were implemented to decrease the population of Diego Garcia. The rim nearly encloses a lagoon about 19 km (12 mi) long and up to 8 km (5.0 mi) wide. The ruling is not legally binding. Nothing is known of pre-European contact history of Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia is just one of some 60 tropical islands in the Chagos archipelago. Any rain falling on the above-water rim quickly percolates through the surface sand and encounters the salt water underneath. Significant saltwater wetlands called barachois exist in the southern half of the lagoon. “For any country to be able to maintain a colonial system in this century is, I think, totally unacceptable. Also, a cacography of the saying Deo Gracias ("Thank God") is eligible for the attribution of the atoll. Diego Garcia is critical in enabling US power projection into the Indian Ocean, Africa, and Middle East regions. This equipment was used during the Persian Gulf War, when the squadron transported equipment to Saudi Arabia. [96], Also, several man-made freshwater ponds resulted from excavations made during construction of the airfield and road on the western half of the atoll rim. - The atoll forms a nearly complete rim of land around a lagoon, enclosing 90% of its perimeter, with an opening only in the north. [85], The island consists of the largest continuous dryland rim of all atolls in the world. Diego Garcia is of sufficient width to minimise tidal fluctuations in the aquifer, and the rainfall (in excess of 102.5 inches/260 cm per year on average)[90] is sufficient in amount and periodicity for the fresh water to form a series of convex, freshwater, Ghyben-Herzberg lenses floating on the heavier salt water in the saturated sediments.[91][92]. The Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica of Hendrik Hondius II (Antwerp 1630) repeats Wright's use of the name, which is then proliferated on all subsequent Dutch maps of the period, and to the present day. Besides the main island, three small islets are at the mouth of the lagoon: West Island (3.4 ha (8.4 acres)), Middle Island (6 ha (15 acres)) and East Island (11.75 ha (29.0 acres)). [5] Many were deported to Mauritius and the Seychelles, following which the United States built a large naval and military base, which has been in continuous operation since then. The extremely large 4-kilogram (8.8 lb) coconut crab or robber crab (Birgus latro) is found here in large numbers. Diego Garcia provides suitable foraging and nesting habitat for both the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Diego Garcia is the largest atoll by land area of the Chagos Archipelago. [127], Four reptiles and six cetaceans are endangered and may or may not be found on or around Diego Garcia:[128] Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos islands, was then leased by Britain to the United States, for use as a military base. [21] Several Frenchmen living in "a dozen huts" abandoned Diego Garcia when the British East India Company attempted to establish a settlement there in April 1786. [35], The primary industry throughout the island's colonial period consisted of coconut plantations producing copra and/or coconut oil,[25] until closure of the plantations and relocation of the inhabitants in October 1971. The large AN/AX-16 High Frequency Radio direction finding Circularly Disposed Antenna Array has been demolished, but the four satellite antenna radomes around the site remain as of 2010[update]. [86], Diego Garcia is frequently subject to earthquakes caused by tectonic plate movement along the Carlsberg Ridge located just to the west of the island. The base, named for the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago in the remote waters of the Indian Ocean, sits on land claimed by the British and leased to the U.S. government for the sole purpose of operating a military base. Arabs, who reached Lakshadweep and Maldives around 900 CE, may have visited the Chagos. Although it was common for local plantation managers to allow pensioners and the disabled to remain in the islands and continue to receive housing and rations in exchange for light work, children after the age of 12 were required to work. It is dominated by, Maintained areas of grasses and sedges routinely mowed: Aerial photographs of the island clearly display large areas of grasslands and park-like, Mixed native forest, with no dominant canopy species, Marshes are divided into three different types: cattail (. "[156] On the return trip to Singapore, it carried recyclable metals.[157]. In February 1942, the mission was to protect the small Royal Navy base and Royal Air Force station located on the island from Japanese attack. [98], Diego Garcia is at minimum risk from tropical cyclones due to its proximity to the equator where the coriolis parameter required to organise circulation of the upper atmosphere is minimal. [31], In April 1966, the British government bought the entire assets of the Chagos Agalega Company in the BIOT for £600,000 and administered them as a government enterprise while awaiting United States funding of the proposed facilities, with an interim objective of paying for the administrative expenses of the new territory. It was one of the "Dependencies" of the British Colony of Mauritius until the Chagos Islands were detached for inclusion in the newly created British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965. 08 41. [98], Thunderstorm activity is generally noticed during the afternoon and evenings during the summer months (December through March) and when the Intertropical Convergence Zone is in the vicinity of the island. Currently, three lizards and one toad are known to inhabit Diego Garcia, and possibly one snake. In addition, much of the lagoon waters are protected wetlands as a designated Ramsar site, and large parts of the island are nature preserves. Only the U.S., Britain, Australia, Hungary, Israel and the Maldives voted against the measure. The uninhabited islands are asserted to have been discovered by the Portuguese navigator, explorer, and diplomat Pedro Mascarenhas in 1512, first named as Dom Garcia, in honour of his patron, Dom Garcia de Noronha[17][18] when he was detached from the Portuguese India Armadas[19] during his voyage of 1512–1513. Annual rainfall averages 2,603.5 mm (102.50 in), with the heaviest precipitation from September to April. The channel and anchorage areas in the northern half of the lagoon are dredged, along with the pre-1971 ship turning basin. The base, named for the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago in the remote waters of the Indian Ocean, sits on land claimed by the British and leased to the U.S. government for the … [89], Diego Garcia is the above-water rim of a coral atoll composed of Holocene coral rubble and sand to the depth of about 36 m (118 ft), overlaying Pleistocene limestone deposited at the then-sea level on top of a seamount rising about 1,800 m (5,900 ft) from the floor of the Indian Ocean. VQ9RA. According to Barber, this was the only way to ensure security for a foreign base. [11] In May 2019, the United Nations General Assembly affirmed the decision of the International Court of Justice and demanded that the United Kingdom withdraw its colonial administration from the Islands and cooperate with Mauritius to facilitate the resettlement of Mauritian nationals in the archipelago. Both Middle Island and Anniversary Island are part of the Spur Reef complex. In the plantation period, shallow wells, supplemented by rainwater collected in cisterns, provided sufficient water for the pastoral lifestyle of the small population. At depth, the lens is globular; near the surface, it generally conforms to the shape of the island. A biological survey by the Chagos Conservation Trust reported that the resulting inundation additionally washed away shoreline shrubs and small to medium-sized coconut palms.[102]. [107] Topp and Martin Hamilton of Kew Gardens compiled the most recent checklist of vegetation in 2009. These resolutions are formalised by an "Exchange of Notes", or, since 2001, an "Exchange of Letters". [88], Diego Garcia lies within the influence of the South Equatorial current year-round. [143][144], Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia provides Base Operating Services to tenant commands located on the island. Hawksbills have been observed nesting during June and July, and from November to March. Diego Garcia is one of America’s most important – and secretive – overseas assets. There were logistics vessels to service the rapid delivery requirements of the United States Air Force, United States Navy and Defense Logistics Agency. The base’s location near Asia, the Middle East and Africa makes it an irreplaceable cornerstone of America’s ability to project power around the world. The 12 tree species are: Barringtonia asiatica (fish-poison tree), Calophyllum inophyllum (Alexandrian laurel), Cocos nucifera, Cordia subcordata, Guettarda speciosa, Intsia bijuga, Hernandia sonora, Morinda citrifolia, Neisosperma oppositifolium,[114] Pisonia grandis, Terminalia catappa, and Heliotropium foertherianum. Chagos Conservation Trust – a non-political charity whose aims are to promote conservation, scientific and historical research, and to advance education concerning the archipelago; Sure Diego Garcia - telecommunications company, Diego Garcia; Diego Garcia Online - information for Diego Garcia population "British Indian Ocean Territory". PDF | The article focuses on the importance of Diego Garcia for maritime security in the Indian Ocean | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate "[55] The inhabitants today do not rely on the island and the surrounding waters for sustenance. His research added fully a third more species to Stoddart. In 1971, the BIOT Commissioner ordered the extermination of feral dogs following the departure of the last plantation workers, and the program continued through 1975, when the last feral dog was observed and shot. American Thinker, conservative blog, apologizes for 'completely false' Dominion Voting articles [26], In 1942, the British opened RAF Station Diego Garcia and established an advanced flying boat unit at the East Point Plantation, staffed and equipped by No 205 and No 240 Squadrons, then stationed on Ceylon. [111] No terrestrial plant species are of any conservation-related concern at present. [112], Of the 36 native vascular plants on Diego Garcia, 12 are trees, five are shrubs, seven are dicotyledon herbs, three are grasses, four are vines, and five are ferns.[113]. The UK retained possession of the Chagos archipelago, which includes the strategic US airbase of Diego Garcia, after Mauritius gained its independence in 1968, effectively paying Mauritius … All consumable food and equipment are brought to Diego Garcia by sea or air, and all non-biodegradable waste is shipped off the island as well. Diego Garcia, coral atoll, largest and southernmost member of the Chagos Archipelago, in the central Indian Ocean, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. [156] The ship delivered "more than 200,000 tons of cargo to the island each year. VQ9RA Diego Garcia Chagos Archipelago. Conspiracy theories aside, international opinion is clearly aligned against the U.S. and Britain. Another three tree species are common, and may be native, but they may also have been introduced by humans: Casuarina equisetifolia, Hibiscus tiliaceus, and Pipturus argenteus. The total number of people certified as Ilois by the Mauritian Government's Ilois Trust Fund Board in 1982 was 1,579. In 1966, the population of the island was 924. Quiz: Can you pass a U.S. Constitution test. and View Comments, Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters. The key component in obtaining Diego Garcia was the perceived lack of a native population on the island. The Chagossians & their Struggle. In 2015, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's former chief of staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, said Diego Garcia was used by the CIA for "nefarious activities". Prior to setting up a military base, the United States government was informed by the British government—which owned the island—that Diego Garcia had a population of hundreds. [citation needed]. “You can’t run out the clock on this. [41] In the early 1970s, setbacks to United States military capabilities in the region including the fall of Saigon, victory of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the closure of the Peshawar Air Station listening post in Pakistan and Kagnew Station in Eritrea, the Mayaguez incident, and the build-up of Soviet naval presence in Aden and a Soviet airbase at Berbera, Somalia, caused the United States to request, and the UK to approve, permission to build a fleet anchorage and enlarged airfield on Diego Garcia,[42] and the Seabees doubled the number of workers constructing these facilities. Around 30 km2 ( 14 sq mi ) long and up to 8 km 12. ( NAVCOMMSTA ) was completed century, Diego Garcia and the BIOT, through British... South Equatorial current year-round Rattus ), with speeds of 10–15 knots to April ships the! To navigation rumoured to have been held in Diego Garcia was used as Great! 116-6 vote and demanded that Britain return the islands is 56.13 km and! 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