Diego Garcia

Diego Garcia is an atoll of the Chagos Archipelago, just south of the equator. It is the island with the largest landmass in the archipelago. Today, the archipelago is the only settled place in the Mauritius. It is 1,863 kilometres (1,158 mi) east of Paislin island of the Seychelles. The United States run a military base on the island.

The archipelago has a landmass of about 27 square kilometres (10 sq mi), the lagoon has an area of about 174 square kilometres (67 sq mi). In 2021, about 4,200 people, all of them military personnel lived on Diego Garcia. There is an airport, and a small harbor on the island. Communication is done using satellite.

History

The Portuguese discovered it, and the French settled it in the 1790s. It used to be part of Mauritius. After the Napoleonic Wars, Mauritius became a British colony. Diego Garcia is 733 kilometres (455 mi) south of Gan Island, the southernmost island of the Maldives.

Following resumed negotiations a treaty was signed on 22 May 2025 that will formally transfer the sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius once it comes into effect, while the Diego Garcia military base remains under British control during a 99-year lease.[1][2] The agreement may be renewed for an additional 40 years after the initial 99-year period, and for an additional period thereafter.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "UK signs deal to hand over Chagos Islands and lease back military base for £101m a year". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
  2. ↑ "The UK hands over its last African colony to Mauritius in a £3.4 billion deal". Business Insider Africa. 22 May 2025.
  3. ↑ "UK warned of threat from China when Chagos deal expires". politico.eu. Retrieved 2025-06-27.


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