mobile View, to the German Version tap the flag
- Possession of the United Kingdom
- Chagos Archipelago
- usual abbreviations: BIOT, B.I.O.T.
• Flags
• Historical Flags
• Meaning/Origin of the Flag
• Map
• Numbers and Facts
• History
seit 1810,
Union Flag → quasi Nationalflagge,
Flagge von Großbritannien,
Seitenverhältnis = 1:2,
Quelle, nach: Wikipedia (EN)
since 1990,
National flag,
ratio – ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Wikipedia (D),
Flags of all Nations
since 1974,
flag of the USA,
ratio = 10:19,
Source, by: Flags of the World, Corel Draw 4
1790–1794,
Flag of France
Source, by: Die Welt der Flaggen
1794–1810,
Flag of France
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by: Corel Draw 4
since 1801,
Union Flag → quasi national flag,
Flag of United Kingdom,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)
1869–1903, Mauritius,
Flag of the government (state flag)
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World
1903–1961, Seychelles,
Flag of the government (state flag)
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World,
LadyofHats, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
1961–1965, Seychelles,
Flag of the government (state flag)
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World,
LadyofHats, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Chagos archipelago belonged to the British colony of Mauritius from 1810 to
1903 and to the British colony of the Seychelles from 1903. In 1965, the
archipelago was merged with the Aldabra Islands, the Farquar Islands and the
islands of Desroches, Platte and Coetivy to form the "British Indian Ocean
Territory". In 1967, all islands except the Chagos Archipelago were ceded to the
Seychelles. As there were no original inhabitants and no other civilian
inhabitants (they were relocated to Mauritius between 1969 and 1971) and the
islands were and are only used for military purposes, there is no civilian
administration and therefore no need for such flags. Nevertheless, there is a
British Commissioner who resides at the "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office" in London. The British military uses the flag of United Kingdom or its
own military flags for the territory, because from the time of British
appropriation in 1810, individuals, citizens and also the authorities
represented their status as citizens or organs of the British nation, embodied
in the United Kingdom, through the use of the Union Jack, then called the "Union
Flag". The US military uses the flag of the USA or its own military flags.
The flag of the BIOT does not follow the British ensign system, as the
bunting of the flag consists of white and blue wavy lines, which are intended to
represent the Indian Ocean. The Union Jack in the top corner indicates the links
with United Kingdom. The badge is located at the flying end. It shows a palm
tree, a reference to the vegetation, and an image of the British crown. It
symbolises the individual islands, in particular the island of Diego Garcia,
which is the only one that is inhabited. The flag, like the badge, was
introduced for the British Commissioner in 1990. Nevertheless, it is used on the
territory and the publication "Flags of all Nations" (a service regulation) of
the British Ministry of Defence refers to the flag as the "national flag".
United Kingdom introduced a flag system in 1864 in which:
• war ships fly
the "White Ensign" (naval flag), a white flag often with an uninterrupted red
St. George's-Cross and with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the
flag,
• merchant ships fly a "Red Ensign" (also named "Civil Ensign" → civil
flag, the real merchant flag), a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff
quadrant of the flag, and
• governmental ships fly the "Blue Ensign" (flag
for the use by the gouvernment → the actual state flag), a blue flag with the
Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag.
Source: Flaggen Enzyklopädie, Wikipedia (EN), Flags of all Nations
Source:
CIA World Factbook
Map of the Country:
Source:
CIA World Factbook
Area: 24 square miles
Inhabitants: ca. 3.500 (military only)
Density of Population: 144 inh./sq.mi.
Capital: Diego Garcia
official Language: English
Currency: 1 Pound Sterling (£) = 100 Pence, 1 US-Dollar ($) = 100 Cents
Time Zone: MEZ + 6 h
Source: Wikipedia (EN)
1810 · seizure by the United Kingdom
1903 · separation from Mauritius, affiliation with the Seychelles
1965 · separation from the Seychelles, formation of the BIOT
1966 · Anglo-US-American treaty of usage
1969–1971 · evacuation of the population
1976 · ceding of territories to the Seychelles
The colonial British Indian Ocean Territory (B.I.O.T.) was formed in 1965 and includes the Chagos Archipelago of which the coral island group of Diego Garcia is the largest, and which encompasses an ocean area of 21.042 square miles. For many years now, the B.I.O.T. has no original population. It produced copra and was evacuated to Mauritius between 1969 and 1971. Todays residents are personnel of the Anglo-US-American military base on the island of Diego Garcia. In 1965 the Chagos Archipelago was retained by Great Britain Mauritius. During independence negotiations with Mauritius in 1968, Great Britain made her continuing stay in the archipelago, under British rule, a precondition. The original B.I.O.T island groups of Aldabra, Farquahr and Desroche had to be returned to the Seychelles in 1976. The presently uninhabited islands have by way of their proximity to the Gulf Region only strategic value. The treaty of 1966 between Great Britain and the USA envisioned combined usage of the territory for at least 50 years. In spite of protests by neighbouring states, Diego Garcia is being developed by the USA as a naval and air force base since 1974. Demands by Mauritius, and supported amongst others by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and India, were rejected by the Government of Great Britain, however, as soon as no more military needs are evident, Great Britain will return the islands to Mauritius.
3rd of October in 2024 · The Prime Ministers of United Kingdom and Mauritius announce that the sovereignty over the islands of the BIOT (Chagos Archipelago) will be transferred to Mauritius and that the BIOT will thus be dissolved; the Chagossians who were resettled between 1969 and 1971 are to be given a right of return, but the island of Diego Garcia remains – with the British and US-american military bases – with the United Kingdom for another 99 years with its own administrative rights.
Source:
Wikipedia (D),
World Statesmen,
Länder der Erde,
BBC.com