The resolution's immediate consequence is that the UN and other international organisations are now bound by UN law to support the decolonisation of the Chagos Islands. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. Mar 30, 2016; is it true? About 280 species of flowering plants and ferns have now been recorded on the islands, but this increase reflects the introduction of non-native plants by humans, either accidentally or deliberately. This administration is represented in the Territory by the Officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia, the "Brit Rep". At 640,000 km2, it is larger than France or the US state of California. Thursday 9 March 2017 . The archipelago is about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives, 1,880 kilometres (1,170 mi) east of the Seychelles, 1,680 kilometres (1,040 mi) north-east of Rodrigues island, 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) west of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and 3,400 kilometres (2,100 mi) north of Amsterdam Island. Eventually they were rescued and brought back home. Mauritius initiated on 20 December 2010 proceedings against the United Kingdom under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to challenge the legality of the Chagos Archipelago MPA. In a press statement issued last week, Mancham suggested that Seychelles and the British government should engage in offering certain assistance and encouragement to the development of tourism in some parts of the Chagos archipelago.. Mancham said that Seychelles had over recent years acquired considerable experience in the … The island names are a mixture of Dutch, French, English and Ilois Creole. Its inhabitants, known as Chagossians, were descended from … This zone extends 200 nautical miles from the islands. Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and site of a major United States military base, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, was … [69] The setting up of the Marine Reserve would appear to be an attempt to prevent any resettlement by the evicted natives in the 1960s and 1970s. …Seychelles colony, along with the Chagos Archipelago, formerly part of the Mauritius colony. The remote islands make perfect undisturbed nursery sites for nests of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles. The Court concluded that, “as a result of the Chagos Archipelago’s unlawful detachment and its incorporation into a new colony, known as the [British Indian Ocean Territory] BIOT, the process of decolonization of Mauritius was not lawfully completed when Mauritius acceded to … “The Chagos archipelago, which covers over 60 islands, would fit into our plan to develop tourism on other Indian Ocean islands that also belong to Mauritius.” “We hope to gain sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago in order to develop these islands for eco-tourism and other purposes.” The Chagos contain the world's largest coral atoll, The Great Chagos Bank, which supports half the total area of good quality reefs in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius has repeatedly asserted that the British claim that the Chagos Archipelago is one of its territories is a violation of law and of UN resolutions. Nearly closed atoll, it has built an asphalt road. It consists of five atolls, including The Great Chagos Bank - the largest atoll in the world. The total area, including lagoons within atolls, is more than 15 000 km2, of which 12 642 km2 are accounted by the Great Chagos Bank, the largest acknowledged atoll structure of the world (the completely submerged Saya de Malha Bank is larger, but its status as an atoll is uncertain). He said that the BIOT's former inhabitants would find it difficult, if not impossible, to pursue their claim for resettlement on the islands if the entire Chagos Archipelago were a marine reserve. Another atoll is Salomon. The indigenous Chagossians, a Bourbonnais Creole-speaking people, were evicted between … India has maintained considerable influence in Mauritius through deep cultural and economic ties. These efforts will ultimately help to improve the biodiversity of the Chagos Islands. Diving, spear-fishing, removal of flora or fauna and commercial activity (including charter trips and fishing other than for subsistence purposes) are strictly prohibited and any offences will be pr… The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. [citation needed], The Chagos Islands have been colonised by plants since there was sufficient soil to support them—probably less than 4,000 years. The Chagos island chain was known to locals in the southernmost atoll of Addu but were never settled by Maldivians. On 23 June 1976, Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches were returned to the Seychelles. 2. mrs_trellis. Personally, I like me this destination if traveling as from Reunion Island to Indonesia or Australia. The official insisted that the establishment of a marine park—the world's largest—would in no way impinge on USG use of the BIOT, including Diego Garcia, for military purposes. In 2010 a 640,000 km² ‘no-take’ marine protected … Today, Chagos archipelago is a military zone and has served in launching B52's during operation Desert Fox in '98 in Iraq, and the various bombing attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq thereafter. The summary paragraph of the referenced diplomatic cable follows: "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 May 12. On 30 December 1966, the United States and the United Kingdom executed an agreement through an Exchange of Notes which permit the United States Armed Forces to use any island of the BIOT for defence purposes for 50 years, until December 2016,[20] followed by a 20-year optional extension (to 2036) to which both parties must agree by December 2014. Since then this place on Earth is considered a protected area. India has maintained that the matter of whether or not to proceed with the UN General Assembly move is a decision for the Mauritian government to make. Initially the workers were slaves, but after 1840 they were freemen, many of whom were descended from those earlier slaves. International arrivals are projected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.3% over 2016–2020. The motion was approved by a majority vote with 116 voting for and 6 against. Integral to this is the self-determination of the whole of the territory enco… Despite its wide global distribution, it is rare in most of the areas it is found. It doubled the total area of environmental no-take zones worldwide. The Chagos Archipelago (/ˈtʃɑːɡəs, -ɡoʊs/) or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas,[2] and later the Oil Islands) are a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago. This means the Chagos coconut crabs are a vital source for replenishing other over-exploited populations in the Indian Ocean region. This is a Military Island inhabitated by the US under a 50 year agreement with the UK it is not open to tourism, I visited there when in the Royal Navy in the 80's its a beautiful island, and the chagossians were forced off it to Mauritius and the Seychelles - I think the 50 year agreement is now up but a new 20 year agreement has just been signed ONLINE. Coral reefs are scattered across the Indian Ocean, but let us note that here is the largest atoll in the world Great Chagos Bank. Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976, leaving only the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago of 2,300 islands. [37] The British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson sought Indian assistance for resolving the dispute involving the United Kingdom, the United States and Mauritius. [60][61] An important part of their biology is the long distances their young can travel as larvae. The tribes that inhabited the islands were forcibly removed by the US and British governments during the late 1960s and early 1970s—effectively turning the islands into a military base. Chagos Islands: UK refusal to return archipelago to Mauritius show the limits of international law November 26, 2019 11.10am EST Miriam Bak McKenna , Lund University In Maldivian lore the whole group is known as Fōlhavahi or Hollhavai (the latter name in the Southern Maldives Adduan dialect of Dhivehi). Wenban-Smith, N. and Carter, M., Chagos: A History, Exploration, Exploitation, Expulsion Published by Chagos Conservation Trust, London (2016), This page was last edited on 13 January 2021, at 06:00. The Chagos Archipelago is chain of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is the largest atoll, is the location of a military base, and is strictly off-limits to cruisers. As a juvenile it behaves like a hermit crab and uses empty coconut shells as protection, but as an adult this giant crab climbs trees and can crack through a coconut with its massive claws. On eastern Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos and the site of a UK–US military facility,[62] Britain has designated the very large lagoon and the eastern arm of the atoll and seaward reefs as a "wetland of international importance" under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention). In addition to the seven atolls with dry land reaching at least the high-water mark, there are nine reefs and banks, most of which can be considered permanently submerged atoll structures. Piron was among 1,500 people made to leave the Chagos Islands, on the Indian Ocean archipelago, by the US and British militaries. [38], On 23 June 2017, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted in favour of referring the territorial dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in order to clarify the legal status of the Chagos Islands archipelago in the Indian Ocean. We hope we have been helpful in this our small article about natural attractions of Chagos Archipelago. All of the remaining islands are … The island of Diego Garcia was the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago and was selected as a potential area for development of an US base. “For the Maldives, any uncertainty concerning the issue of the Chagos archipelago will have serious implications for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and the wider security of the Indian Ocean region.” She reiterated support for the UN’s decolonisation processes and stressed that the decision “should not be construed as a vote or a position taken against the co-sponsors of the resolution, with … The land area of the islands is 56.13 km2 (21.7 sq. A 55-year-old native of the remote Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, Bancoult heads a group of mostly elderly women who, like him, were expelled shortly after Britain bought the archipelago … [24] In March 1971, Seabees, United States naval construction battalions, arrived on Diego Garcia to begin the construction of the Communications Station and an airfield. A major British-U.S. military facility was built on Diego Garcia in 1971, and the plantations there were closed. It is administered from London and is located approximately halfway between East Africa and Indonesia. Mauritius has argued that the Chagos Islands has been a part of its territory since at least the 18th century, till the United Kingdom broke the archipelago away from Mauritius in 1965 and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Desroches from the Seychelles in the region to form the British Indian Ocean Territory. [7], The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stated that Britain is legally obliged to hand back the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, to Mauritius “as rapidly as possible.” This follows its landmark ruling that the UK’s occupation of the Chagos Islands was unlawful.[8]. Diego Garcia, the largest and most southerly island, has an area of 44km 2 . In 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence, the United Kingdom excised the archipelago from Mauritius and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Desroches from the Seychelles to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn the UK's continued occupation of the Chagos Islands -- a humiliating defeat for … Report. Between 1967 and 1973, the entire population was removed from the islands and moved to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make way for a joint United States-United Kingdom military base on Diego Garcia. The Chagos Archipelago, which was claimed by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965 lies about 1,770km east of Mahé (the main island of the Seychelles). [26] However, despite this islanders often found themselves in woefully inadequate housing and living conditions due to their expulsion by the British and subsequent resettlement spearheaded by the Mauritian government. This means that Chagos has the most diverse breeding seabird community within this tropical region. The tribunal considered in detail the undertakings given by the United Kingdom to the Mauritian Ministers at the Lancaster House talks in September 1965. The archipelago is about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives, 1,880 kilometres (1,170 mi) east of the Seychelles, 1,680 kilometres (1,040 mi) north-east of Rodrigues island, 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) west of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and 3,400 kilometres (2,100 mi) north of Amsterdam Island. The territory, an archipelago of 58 islands also known as the Chagos Archipelago, covers some 640,000km 2 of ocean. The deep oceanic waters around the Chagos Islands, out to the 200 nautical mile limit, include an exceptional diversity of undersea geological features (such as 6000 m deep trenches, oceanic ridges, and sea mounts). The French began issuing permits for companies to establish coconut oil plantations on the Chagos in the 1770s. It is administered from London and is located approximately halfway between East Africa and Indonesia. [35], On 16 November 2016, the UK Foreign Office maintained their ban on resettlement of the islands. The United Kingdom claims that it has no doubt about its sovereignty over the archipelago. [4], United Nations' resolutions banned the break-up of imperial territories before independence. The last license to fish near the Chagos archipelago expired in 2010. In 2003, the UK government established an Environment (Protection and Preservation) Zone under Article 75 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Because the … Features are listed in the table from north to south: The main natural resources of the area are coconuts and fish. However, the plantations, both under their previous private ownership and under government administration, proved consistently unprofitable due to the introduction of new oils and lubricants in the international marketplace, and the establishment of vast coconut plantations in the East Indies and the Philippines. Chagos turtles were heavily exploited during the previous two centuries, but they and their habitats are now well protected by the administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory and are recovering well. Structures on the islands are located in the joint defence and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, although the Plantation house and other structures left behind by the Ilois are still standing, however left abandoned and decaying. Because some of these non-native species have become invasive and pose a threat to the native ecosystems, plans are being developed to control them. Although the deepwater habitats surrounding the islands have not been explored or mapped in any detail, work elsewhere in the world has shown that high physical diversity of the sea floor is closely linked to a high diversity of species. The United Kingdom has stated that it has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Chagos, but has also said that the Chagos will be returned to Mauritius once the islands are no longer required for defence purposes. Maldives or the Maldive Islands lies on the Indian Ocean between Chagos Archipelago and … The Chagos archipelago, located halfway between Ceylon and Madagascar, served in World War Two as “one of a chain of forward flying-boat bases spread across Japanese submarine routes through the Indian Ocean”. Chagos Islands are about 500 kilometers from the Maldives to the south, but belong to the fictitious island of Mauritius. Administratively, it was a dependency of Mauritius for most of its history, but since 1965 it has been part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. In 1965, three years prior to the independence of Mauritius, the U.K. split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritian territory, and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches from the Seychelles, to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). History is strewn with people screwed over by humanity. [45] Around 1,700 armed services personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors, mostly American, are stationed on Diego Garcia.[46]. Historically, the coral cover was dense and healthy even in deep water on the steep outer reef slopes. The Chagos Archipelago (formerly Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands roughly in the centre of the Indian Ocean. Seventeen species of breeding seabirds can be found nesting in huge colonies on many of the islands in the archipelago, and 10 of the islands have received formal designation as Important Bird Areas, by BirdLife International. All the water, food and other essentials of daily life are shipped to the island. We stopped there for nearly four weeks taking refuge on route from the Maldives to the Seychelles during the transition season when winds in the northern and southern hemisphere change. Access is restricted and a permit is … The Tribunal also found that the United Kingdom's undertaking to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius when no longer needed for defence purposes is legally binding. Access is restricted and a permit is required in advance of travel. [citation needed] Portuguese seafarers named the group as Bassas de Chagas,[12] Portuguese: Chagas (wounds) referring to the Holy Wounds of the crucifixion of Jesus. In 1965, Britain paid the self-governing colony of Mauritius £3 million for the archipelago and established the British Indian Ocean Territory, administered by the Commissioner of Mauritius. Home | Europe | Asia | Africa | North America | Yahoo Travel | Google News | Google+ | Australia | Contact Us. [citation needed], Today, the status of the Chagos Islands’ native flora depends very much on past exploitation of particular islands. Armenians, Jews and Kurds to name but a few. In 2010, the Maldives sought an extension of its Exclusive Economic Zone on the grounds that the UK had no right to claim a 200 nautical mile EEZ if … You need to ask the FCO about that. Those sailing to the BIOT and mooring in one of the harbors, need to apply for a permit prior to visiting. The British Indian Ocean Territory is centrally located in the Indian Ocean, south of the Maldives, about halfway between Madagascar and Indonesia.The main island, Diego Garcia, is a military facility off limits to anyone not on official duty, but some of the uninhabited outer islands can be visited by independent yachters with advance permission. Few remains of their culture have been left, although their language is still spoken by some of their descendants in Mauritius. On some islands, native forests were felled to plant coconut palms for the production of copra oil. [41], On 22 May 2019, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted in favor of setting a six-month deadline for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the Chagos Archipelago, which would then be reunified with Mauritius. … It doubled the total area of environmental no-take zones worldwide. Another feasibility study, commissioned by organisations supporting resettlement, found that resettlement would be possible at a cost to the British taxpayer of £25 million. The British government rejected any jurisdiction of the court to deliberate these matters. [34] A subsidiary issue is the Mauritian opposition to the 1 April 2010 UK Government's declaration that the BIOT is a Marine Protected Area with fishing and extractive industry (including oil and gas exploration) prohibited. He qualified the ruling as an important milestone in the relentless struggle, at the political, diplomatic and other levels, of successive Governments over the years for the effective exercise by Mauritius of its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. December through February is considered the rainy season (summer monsoon); typical weather conditions include light west-northwesterly winds and warmer temperatures with more rainfall. Leaked US Cables have shown the FCO suggesting to the US counterparts that setting up a protected no-take zone would make it "difficult, if not impossible" for the islanders to return. When it became so is debated. The Chagos group is a combination of different coralline rock structures topping a submarine ridge running southwards across the centre of the Indian Ocean, formed by volcanoes above the Réunion hotspot. The motion was approved by a majority vote with 94 voting for and 15 against. But one group of people being screwed right now that almost no one knows about is the people of the Chagos Islands.. Inbound tourism in Italy registered good growth in 2015, supported by the Milano Expo, which attracted five million international visitors. It considered the events from February 2009 to April 2010, during which time the MPA proposal came into being and was then imposed on Mauritius.[29][30]. enjoy, Mark. The Tribunal firmly rejected that argument, holding that those undertakings became a binding international agreement upon the independence of Mauritius, and have bound the UK ever since. Thus for many centuries the Chagos were ignored by their northern neighbours. The Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony. Besides beautiful pictures of the Chagos archipelago and atolls another interesting gone. [68], On 1 April 2010, the British government Cabinet established the Chagos Archipelago as the world's largest marine reserve. The most important natural attractions of Chagos Archipelago are protected by international conventions of the UN and especially the commitment of the UK. Take strategic business decisions using historic and forecast market data related to top 10 outbound tourism markets. [16], On 27 April 1786 the Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia were claimed for Great Britain. Copy and paste the url below to share the link. In November 1965, the UK purchased the entire Chagos Archipelago from the then self-governing colony of Mauritius for £3 million to create the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT),[20] with the intent of ultimately closing the plantations to provide the British territory from which the United States would conduct its military activities in the region. While a number of islanders had petitioned for the return of their former homes, their efforts have not been accepted by the US and UK legal systems.[44]. Since 1971, only the atoll of Diego Garcia is inhabited, and only by military and civilian contracted personnel. The sovereignty of the Chagos is disputed between Mauritius and the UK. [citation needed], Successive UK governments, both Labour and Conservative, have supported environmental conservation of the Chagos and have resisted attempts to allow the exiled Chagossians to return. [49] Thick stands of branching staghorn coral (Acropora sp) previously protected the low-lying islands from wave erosion. There are currently no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. Our potential for religious and cultural tourism will be enhanced to promote the ocean economy,” says Mauritius’ Minister of Tourism Anil Gayan. The largest individual islands are Diego Garcia (32.5 km2), Eagle (Great Chagos Bank, 3.1 km2), Île Pierre (Peros Banhos, 1.40 km2), Eastern Egmont (Egmont Islands, 2.17 km2), Île du Coin (Peros Banhos, 1.32 km2) and Île Boddam (Salomon Islands, 1.27 km2). The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), an archipelago of 58 islands covering some 640,000 sq km of ocean, is a British Overseas Territory. [33], The Chagos had been part of Mauritius since the 18th century when the French first settled the islands. Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius, pointed out that it is the first time that the UK's conduct with regard to the Chagos Archipelago has been considered and condemned by any international court or tribunal.