The capital of British Indian Ocean Territory is Diego Garcia
1
Folklore claims that seaman have been stranded on islands in the Indian
Ocean throughout history. The Islands of the British Indian Ocean
Territory were originally French colonies. The first settlers were
slaves on the coconut plantations that were established there. The
territory was transferred to the British in the Treaty of Paris in 1810.
They were severed from the Seychelles in 1965.
2
The
British Indian Ocean Territory has no native peoples; its indigenous
culture is that of its colonizers. The largest island, Diego Garcia, is
home to about 4,000 people from the United Kingdom and the United
States. Most of these people are either in the military or are
government contractors.
3
In
1971 the United States signed a treaty with the United Kingdom that
allowed the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia. Since the
island is in the Indian Ocean, and therefore near Russia, it was a good
strategic move for the US to arrange to have a military presence there.
In return, the US gave the UK some nuclear missiles for a discounted
price.
4
No one lives on
any of the other islands in the territory. When the military base was
being built on Diego Garcia, all of the people living there were moved
to the island of Mauritius, another territory that came into British
possession after being a French colony. These people are called the
Chagossians, and they have tried to sue for the right to move back to
Diego Garcia, although rulings were not in their favor.
5
The
British Indian Ocean Territory functions solely as a military base and
thus is subject to the laws of the UK. It has no constitution or
national holidays. It has a commissioner, Tony Crombie, and an
administrator, Tony Humphries. Both live in England and were appointed
by Queen Elizabeth II.
No comments:
Post a Comment