Ports and terminals:
Diego Garcia
Military British Indian Ocean Territory
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego
Garcia expires in 2016
Transnational Issues British Indian Ocean Territory
Disputes - international:
Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including
Diego Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos
Archipelago, evicted in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius,
were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; the UK
resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the
islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military
lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in
the chain;
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@British Virgin Islands
Introduction British Virgin Islands
Background:
First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin
Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the
English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the
Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967.
The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US
Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.