World Factbook
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
60 sq km (44 Diego Garcia)
note
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
water
54,340 sq km
total
60 sq km
Climate
tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain
flat and low coral atolls (most areas do not exceed 2 m, or 6.6 ft, in elevation); sits atop the submarine volcanic Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Land use
other
100% (2018 est.)
forest
0% (2018 est.)
agricultural land
0% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Location
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about halfway between Africa and Indonesia
Coastline
698 km
Elevation
lowest point
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point
ocean-side dunes on Diego Garcia 9 m
Map references
Political Map of the World
Land boundaries
total
0 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
Environment (Protection and Preservation) Zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
none; located outside routes of Indian Ocean cyclones
Geography - note
note 1: archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, the largest and southernmost island, occupies a strategic location in the central Indian Ocean note 2: Diego Garcia is the only inhabited island of the BIOT
Natural resources
coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Area - comparative
land area is about one-third the size of Washington, D.C.
Geographic coordinates
6 00 S, 71 30 E
note: Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E