Africa · Eastern Africa

British Indian Ocean Territory

Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory
Local Time
--:--:--
UTC+06:00
🏛️ Capital
Diego Garcia
👥 Population
N/A
📐 Area
60 km²
💱 Currency
United States dollar ($)
🗣️ Languages
English
📞 Calling Code
+246
🕐 Time Zones
UTC+06:00
🌐 Region
Africa / Eastern Africa

About British Indian Ocean Territory

The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is one of the world's most restricted and remote places — a scattered archipelago of over 1,000 islands and islets in the central Indian Ocean, most of which form the Chagos Archipelago. The territory is dominated by Diego Garcia, a large coral atoll that serves as a joint UK-US military base and is entirely off-limits to the general public. The surrounding outer islands are likewise inaccessible to tourists, making BIOT one of the least-visited places on Earth.

What lies beneath and around this restricted territory is extraordinary: some of the most pristine coral reefs remaining anywhere in the world. The Chagos Marine Protected Area, established in 2010, encompasses over 500,000 square kilometres of ocean and protects one of the planet's last large-scale intact reef systems. Researchers and conservation scientists who have been granted access describe underwater ecosystems of staggering health — coral gardens untouched by fishing or tourism, with sharks, rays, and turtles in remarkable abundance.

The territory's history is shadowed by controversy: the entire indigenous Chagossian population was forcibly displaced by the British government between 1968 and 1973 to make way for the military base, a removal whose legality and morality has been fiercely contested in international courts for decades. The question of sovereignty and the right of return for Chagossian descendants remains a deeply live political issue.

History & Background

The Chagos Archipelago was uninhabited when French colonizers arrived in the 18th century, establishing coconut oil plantations worked by enslaved Africans and later indentured laborers from India. Britain gained control after the Napoleonic Wars, and the islands became part of Mauritius colony. In 1965, Britain carved out the Chagos Islands from Mauritius (then still a colony about to gain independence) to form the new British Indian Ocean Territory, a move that Mauritius contested.

Between 1968 and 1973, the British government secretly and forcibly removed all 1,500–2,000 Chagossian residents to make way for the Diego Garcia base. This displacement was kept quiet for years and was eventually exposed as a profound violation of the residents' rights. Despite a series of UK court rulings finding the expulsion unlawful, successive British governments have prevented resettlement. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that Britain's separation of the Chagos Islands from Mauritius was illegal.

Culture & People

The British Indian Ocean Territory has no permanent civilian population today, but it carries the cultural memory of the Chagossian people — a Creole-speaking community of mixed African, Malagasy, and Indian descent who had lived on the islands since the 18th century, working on coconut plantations. Their culture, language (Chagossian Creole), music, and food traditions developed in relative isolation on the islands they called home for generations.

After their forced removal to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Chagossian diaspora has maintained their cultural identity with remarkable tenacity, advocating globally for their right to return. Their sega music, which blends African rhythms with Creole lyrics, and their oral traditions of life on the islands are preserved and performed by community groups. The Chagossian cause has become emblematic of colonial displacement and the rights of small island peoples — an important story that any serious engagement with the British Indian Ocean Territory must include.

Food & Cuisine

The British Indian Ocean Territory has no civilian population, no restaurants, and no food culture accessible to visitors — the only people present are military personnel and support staff at Diego Garcia, who rely entirely on imported and supplied provisions.

The culinary legacy of the territory belongs to the displaced Chagossian community, whose traditional cuisine blended Indian Ocean Creole influences: rice and lentil dishes, fresh fish grilled or cooked in coconut milk, octopus curry, pickled breadfruit, and sweet coconut confections. Dishes like rougaille (a spiced tomato sauce) and vindaye (pickled fish or meat) reflect the French Creole foundation. Today, Chagossian food traditions are kept alive in Mauritius and the Seychelles by the diaspora community, maintaining a culinary heritage tied to islands they are forbidden from returning to.

Top Attractions

  • Chagos Marine Protected Area — One of the world's largest and most pristine marine reserves, covering over 500,000 sq km and protecting extraordinary coral reef ecosystems.
  • Diego Garcia Atoll — A large V-shaped coral atoll with a vast sheltered lagoon, now home to a major UK-US military installation.
  • Peros Banhos Atoll — A remote atoll in the northern Chagos with extraordinary reef health and some of the clearest water in the Indian Ocean.
  • Salomon Atoll — A pristine ring of small islands enclosing a sheltered lagoon, renowned among the small number of scientific divers who have accessed it.

Practical Travel Tips

  • The British Indian Ocean Territory is closed to civilian visitors — no tourism permits or entry visas are issued to the general public.
  • Diego Garcia is a restricted military installation and is inaccessible to anyone without official military or government authorization.
  • The Chagos Archipelago has been the subject of major international legal proceedings — follow reputable news sources for developments on sovereignty and access.
  • The nearest accessible destinations with similar marine environments are the Maldives, Seychelles, and Mauritius.
  • Conservation organizations working on Chagos reef protection welcome donations and advocacy support for the territory's marine protected area.

Visa Overview

No tourist visas are issued for the British Indian Ocean Territory. The territory is a restricted military zone and no civilian entry is permitted without specific authorization from the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration in London. Any vessel transiting the area must avoid the Diego Garcia zone. The outer islands of the Chagos Archipelago are designated as a Marine Protected Area with access strictly controlled by the administration. Unauthorized entry is illegal under British law.

Getting Around

There are no civilian transport links to the British Indian Ocean Territory. The only access is via military flights to Diego Garcia, available solely to authorized military and government personnel. In the past, a very limited number of sailing permits were issued for yachts to anchor at specific outer atolls, but these have been increasingly restricted. The territory lies approximately 1,600 km south of India and 1,000 km from the Maldives, placing it far from any civilian maritime routes.

Safety Notes

Unauthorized presence in the British Indian Ocean Territory is illegal and can result in vessel seizure and detention. The territory is a live military environment and vessels approaching Diego Garcia's exclusion zone are subject to interception. Beyond the legal risks, the remote location means that any emergency would face extremely limited response capability. The Indian Ocean in this region can experience severe weather during monsoon season, and the closest civilian rescue services are thousands of kilometres away.

Live Exchange Rates

Current exchange rates for currencies used in British Indian Ocean Territory.

United States dollar (USD) $
Updated: 2026-05-20
⌕
Currency CodeRate
1INCH 10.765879
AAVE 0.011241
ADA 3.988151
AED 3.672500
AFN 62.845021
AGIX 11.835044
AKT 1.262503
ALGO 8.525522
ALL 82.103239
AMD 367.874654
AMP 1,186.528628
ANG 1.802539
AOA 916.905396
APE 6.830951
APT 1.044608
AR 0.448263
ARB 8.836575
ARS 1,397.987719
ATOM 0.496755
ATS 11.837992
AUD 1.397598
AVAX 0.106789
AWG 1.7900
AXS 0.821062
AZM 8,499.999838
AZN 1.700000
BAKE 1,150.451623
BAM 1.682601
BAT 10.055338
BBD 2.0000
BCH 0.002679
BDT 122.927446
BEF 34.704434
BGN 1.682601
BHD 0.3760
BIF 2,977.732972
BMD 1.0000
BNB 0.001539
BND 1.278033
BOB 6.909328
BRL 5.005363
BSD 1.0000
BSV 0.066342
BSW 1,348.702496
BTC 0.000013
BTG 3.128392
BTN 96.679168
BTT 3,101,940.213538
BUSD 1.000429
BWP 13.564927
BYN 2.740011
BYR 27,400.106787
BZD 2.013444
CAD 1.375054
CAKE 0.681726
CDF 2,294.993194
CELO 12.217497
CFX 16.849706
CHF 0.787289
CHZ 21.771197
CLP 898.747369
CNH 6.800811
CNY 6.801128
COMP 0.043741
COP 3,711.871694
CRC 452.212155
CRO 14.431005
CRV 4.159982
CSPR 336.913860
CUC 1.0000
CUP 24.000503
CVE 94.865331
CVX 0.578809
CYP 0.503511
CZK 20.904678
DAI 1.000600
DASH 0.019851
DCR 0.057284
DEM 1.682601
DFI 1,106.434049
DJF 178.241446
DKK 6.428920
DOGE 9.559874
DOP 58.894919
DOT 0.798508
DYDX 6.543871
DZD 132.717546
EEK 13.460811
EGLD 0.252053
EGP 53.425329
ENJ 22.133730
EOS 12.269328
ERN 15.0000
ESP 143.141951
ETB 161.422488
ETC 0.110146
ETH 0.000467
EUR 0.860300
EURC 0.859658
FEI 1.006040
FIL 1.031143
FIM 5.115114
FJD 2.201184
FKP 0.743919
FLOW 27.684149
FLR 119.673440
FRAX 1.007218
FRF 5.643201
FTT 3.047332
GALA 292.211888
GBP 0.743919
GEL 2.668483
GGP 0.743919
GHC 115,475.215315
GHS 11.547522
GIP 0.743919
GMD 73.618290
GMX 0.149509
GNF 8,772.765804
GNO 0.008364
GRD 293.147378
GRT 39.579829
GT 0.141210
GTQ 7.624664
GUSD 1.002146
GYD 209.192965
HBAR 11.173511
HKD 7.832989
HNL 26.599769
HNT 1.204482
HOT 2,476.139955
HRK 6.481934
HT 6.935139
HTG 130.938169
HUF 309.398857
ICP 0.390866
IDR 17,655.564110
IEP 0.677542
ILS 2.905233
IMP 0.743919
IMX 5.780151
INJ 0.196840
INR 96.679168
IQD 1,310.164114
IRR 1,321,730.546692
ISK 123.368446
ITL 1,665.773953
JEP 0.743919
JMD 158.249794
JOD 0.7090
JPY 158.892500
KAS 28.606976
KAVA 16.944551
KCS 0.124732
KDA 120.931803
KES 129.499145
KGS 87.472827
KHR 4,011.235047
KLAY 19.553944
KMF 423.240077
KNC 6.957550
KPW 900.018361
KRW 1,496.672122
KSM 0.199525
KWD 0.308866
KYD 0.831617
KZT 472.270955
LAK 21,941.584296
LBP 89,270.807944
LDO 2.762638
LEO 0.099453
LINK 0.103504
LKR 344.591293
LRC 59.342191
LRD 183.052012
LSL 16.470028
LTC 0.018397
LTL 2.970445
LUF 34.704434
LUNA 15.620810
LUNC 13,029.909816
LVL 0.604619
LYD 6.365863
MAD 9.224732
MANA 11.180759
MBX 25.556143
MDL 17.383015
MGA 4,199.219884
MGF 20,996.099421
MINA 17.432246
MKD 53.031629
MKR 0.000584
MMK 2,099.737571
MNT 3,578.294882
MOP 8.067978
MRO 399.749498
MRU 39.974950
MTL 0.369327
MUR 47.404137
MVR 15.445364
MWK 1,734.052755
MXN 17.299148
MXV 1.964703
MYR 3.969411
MZM 63,867.568567
MZN 63.867569
NAD 16.470028
NEAR 0.598266
NEO 0.343459
NEXO 1.131635
NFT 3,539,585.176662
NGN 1,371.637518
NIO 36.803297
NLG 1.895853
NOK 9.268205
NPR 154.759179
NZD 1.703262
OKB 0.012313
OMR 0.384954
ONE 492.445034
OP 7.689369
ORDI 0.233316
PAB 1.0000
PAXG 0.000221
PEN 3.418418
PEPE 266,856.132713
PGK 4.360961
PHP 61.487845
PI 6.585286
PKR 278.661660
PLN 3.654253
POL 10.989364
PTE 172.474755
PYG 6,168.485892
QAR 3.6400
QNT 0.013546
QTUM 1.110202
ROL 45,064.004145
RON 4.506400
RPL 0.571720
RSD 101.019098
RUB 71.501097
RUNE 2.264782
RVN 181.388341
RWF 1,463.796438
SAND 13.775770
SAR 3.7500
SBD 8.036116
SCR 14.622722
SDD 60,019.773311
SDG 600.197733
SEK 9.339085
SGD 1.278033
SHIB 171,973.057972
SHP 0.743919
SIT 206.162400
SKK 25.917411
SLE 22.849917
SLL 22,849.917137
SNX 3.148465
SOL 0.011517
SOS 570.680469
SPL 0.166667
SRD 37.135530
SRG 37,135.529753
SSP 4,707.465577
STD 21,245.664778
STN 21.245665
STX 4.101245
SUI 0.926608
SVC 8.7500
SYP 110.549437
SZL 16.470028
THB 32.559646
THETA 4.936605
TJS 9.295642
TMM 17,544.327667
TMT 3.508866
TND 2.906046
TON 0.484596
TOP 2.408341
TRL 45,582,727.931376
TRX 2.790828
TRY 45.582728
TTD 6.781345
TUSD 1.001382
TVD 1.397598
TWD 31.589275
TWT 2.158758
TZS 2,613.347312
UAH 44.270862
UGX 3,772.156376
UNI 0.276798
USDC 1.000518
USDD 1.000580
USDP 1.001553
USDT 1.001180
UYU 40.328235
UZS 12,091.416533
VAL 1,665.773953
VEB 51,854,148,632.4189
VED 518.523207
VEF 51,852,320.732036
VES 518.523207
VET 149.780188
VND 26,368.328212
VUV 118.957076
WAVES 2.572880
WEMIX 3.571365
WOO 58.031370
WST 2.707813
XAF 564.320102
XAG 0.013157
XAU 0.000220
XAUT 0.000221
XBT 0.000013
XCD 2.707431
XCG 1.802539
XCH 0.276454
XDC 28.537601
XDR 0.731943
XEC 137,469.172084
XEM 1,488.431207
XLM 6.923858
XMR 0.002474
XOF 564.320102
XPD 0.000726
XPF 102.661152
XPT 0.000511
XRP 0.726343
XTZ 2.921424
YER 238.617734
ZAR 16.470028
ZEC 0.001529
ZIL 251.464771
ZMK 18,992.179952
ZMW 18.992180
ZWD 361.9000
ZWG 26.244739
ZWL 65,578.364416

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Cities in British Indian Ocean Territory 121
Browse all cities and towns
Adityana Adivivaram Akkayapalle Anklesvar INA Badarpur Railway Town Bade Bacheli Bag-e-Firdosh Bagbahara Bahbari Gaon Bambolim Bamun Sualkuchi Bar Bigha Bariapur Belampalli Bemetra Betora Bharuch INA Billimora Biswanath Chariali Bombuflat Bombuflat Bongaigaon Petro-chemical Town Borgolai Bugganipalle Calapor Carapur Chandrapur Bagicha Chatakonda Chekonidhara Chemmumiahpet Chidiga Chinagantyada Choto Haibor Copenhagen Davorlim Digboi Oil Town Dimaruguri Dinapur Cantonment Diu Doman Hill Colliery Dommara Nandyal Dongragarh Donkamokan Dowlaiswaram Duliagaon East Godavari Dist. Ekambara kuppam Fakirtakya Frezarpur Garimellapadu Gogri Jamalpur Hauraghat Hukumpeta Jaggayyapeta Jagiroad Paper Mill Jallaram Kamanpur Jamhaur Jashpurnagar Jhagrakhand Jonai Bazar Kaikalur Kampur Town Kantabamsuguda Khamhria Khanapuram Haveli Kharijapikon Khonga Pani Kirandu Kochpara Kondapalem Kondukur Kovurpalle Kumar Kaibarta Gaon Lauthaha Lido Tikok Lingiyadih Loutulim Lumding Railway Colony Mahnar Bazar Mancheral Mothugudam Nailajanjgir Namna Kalan Naubaisa Gaon New Bongaigaon Railway Colony New Delhi Niz-Hajo Omerkhan daira Palempalle Palkonda Palmaner Pandariya Parasamba Payakaraopet Phunderdihari Pothinamallayyapalem Prasadampadu Prasantinilayam Queula Rajgamar Ravulapalam Rayadrug Rishikonda Sakti Sarupathar Bengali Serilungampalle Shivrinarayan Silchar Part-X Sirgiti Sriramsagar Srisailamgudem Devasthanam Suriapet Tildanewra Tirvuru Ukkayapalli Uttar Krishnapur Part-I Vaparala Vemalwada Waris Aliganj West Godavari Dist. Yenamalakudru

Visa Requirements

Check what visa a citizen of British Indian Ocean Territory needs to enter any country.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the capital of British Indian Ocean Territory?
The capital of British Indian Ocean Territory is Diego Garcia.
What currency does British Indian Ocean Territory use?
British Indian Ocean Territory uses the United States dollar ($) as its official currency.
What language is spoken in British Indian Ocean Territory?
The official language(s) of British Indian Ocean Territory include English.
What is the population of British Indian Ocean Territory?
British Indian Ocean Territory has a population of approximately N/A people.
What region is British Indian Ocean Territory in?
British Indian Ocean Territory is located in Africa, specifically in the Eastern Africa subregion.
What is the international calling code for British Indian Ocean Territory?
The international dialing code for British Indian Ocean Territory is +246.
What time zones does British Indian Ocean Territory observe?
British Indian Ocean Territory observes the following time zone(s): UTC+06:00.
What is the current time in British Indian Ocean Territory?
The local time in British Indian Ocean Territory is currently --:--. This time applies to the primary time zone.
What is the total area of British Indian Ocean Territory?
British Indian Ocean Territory covers a total area of 60 km².
How many states or provinces does British Indian Ocean Territory have?
British Indian Ocean Territory is divided into 2 states or provinces.
What are the public holidays in British Indian Ocean Territory in 2026?
You can view the complete list of public holidays for British Indian Ocean Territory in 2026 on the Holidays 2026 page.
What are the visa requirements for citizens of British Indian Ocean Territory?
Visa requirements for citizens of British Indian Ocean Territory vary by destination. Use our Visa Requirements Checker below to look up requirements for any destination country.