Chagos

The islands Chagos are an archipelago of the Indian Ocean belonging to the British Territoire of the Indian Ocean, made up of 7 Atoll S including/understanding more than 60 islands. Halfway between the Africa, the Indonesia and the India, they are located at approximately 500 km in the south of the Maldives, 1  600 km in the south-east of the India and 1  700 km in the east of the Seychelles.

Before their expulsion at the end of the Years 1960 - beginning of the Years 1970 by the British government, they were inhabited by the Ilois (from now on called Chagossiens), descendants métissés African slaves, Indians and French colonists, all made at the 18th century.

Geography

Chagos are coral atolls like the Maldives and the Laquedives whose Chagos constitute the southernmost prolongation.

The surface of the archipelago is of 63,17 km ² including 27,20 km ² for the largest island, Diego Garcia. The total surface area by including the Lagon S of the Atoll S is of 15.000 km ² including 13.000 km ² for only the Great Chagos Bank, one of the largest atolls in the world. The continental shelf around the archipelago has a surface of 20.607 km ² and the exclusive economic Zone, which is joint of that of the Maldives in north, has a surface of 636.600 km ² (by including the territorial water).

The archipelago consists of 7 formations atolliennes of all sizes which have islands or Cayes emerged permanently:

  1. Diego Garcia (of which Diego Garcia and 3 small islands in North)

  2. islands Egmont or Six Islands (7 islands)
  3. Peros Banhos (27 islands)
  4. the Solomon Islands (11 islands)
  5. Great Chagos Bank (7 islands)
  6. Reef Blenheim (3 islands)
  7. Announcers Bank (1 island)

The largest islands are Diego Garcia (27,20 km ²), Eagle (Great Chagos Bank, 2,45 km ²), island Pierre (Peros Banhos, 1,50 km ²), Eastern Egmont (Egmont islands, 1,50 km ²), Île of Corner (Peros Banhos, 1,28 km ²) and island Boddam (the Solomon Islands, 1,08 km ²).

The majority of the sources count only 4 or 5 atolls in the Chagos islands plus 2 groups of islands or principal islands with small islands. That is mainly with the fact that the Great Chagos Bank is not recognized like an immense structure atollienne (including these 2 groups of islands) and also because the Récif Blenheim and Speakers Bank have small islands or cayes levelling or emerging just with the top of water surface.

In addition to these 7 atolls with permanent emerged grounds, there exist 7 to 9 benches which can be regarded as atolls but are regularly submerged at the time of the strong tides.

  1. Colvocoresses Reef

  2. Benares Shoals
  3. Victory Bank
  4. Cauvin Bank
  5. Pitt Bank
  6. Ganges Bank
  7. Wight Bank
  8. Centurion Bank
  9. Owen Bank

Resources

The natural main resources of the island were the Canne with sugar, the Coconut and the fish. However, these resources because of the departure of the Chagossiens are not exploited any more and will be really started again like agricultural resources only at the time of the possible return of the former inhabitants. Only an activity of fishings was maintained with attribution of license which provide an annual income from approximately 1 million dollars to the authorities of the British Territoire of the Indian Ocean.

All the economic activity is concentrated on Diego Garcia where the Anglo-American installations are located. The building work and various activities of support of military base are ensured by soldiers and civilians employed under contract, those coming from Great Britain, Maurice, Philippines or the United States. There are no manufacturing or agricultural activities on the islands.

Climate

The climate is a tropical Climat marine, hot and wet, just moderated by the Alizé S. It caratérise by an important sunning, hot temperatures, downpours and light breezes. December at February is regarded as (monsoon of summer) with normally of light winds of north-western west, hotter temperature and the fall rain season of more important rains. June at September is regarded as the dry season (winter), characterized by a moderate wind of south-east, tempétures slightly more fraiches and less rain. Precipitations annual averages are of 2.600 mm, going from 105 mm in August to 350 mm in January.

History

  • the islands are discovered at the beginning of the 16th century by a Portuguese forwarding travelling towards the India. They name them Cinco Chagas (five wounds of Christ), name which will be transformed by the following navigators, Dutch, French and English in Chagos. The islands are then uninhabited. Although to only 500 km of Maldives, it seems that Chagos did not know as them an old settlement.
  • 1776 : François de Souillac, then governor French of the colony gathering the Mauritius, the Seychelles and the Meeting, decided to occupy Chagos, still deserted. It sent to it French colonists and Esclave S African. The island Diego Garcia was a leper-house for the patients of the island of France (Mauritius today).
  • 1786 : Chagos were claimed by the United Kingdom.
  • 1814 : By treaty, all these islands became British.
  • 1835 : Slavery is abolished. But the current ancestors of Chagossiens could not acquire grounds, all the documents of title having already been sold with French companies whose Chagossiens remained the employees until the exile.
  • With the opening of the Suez Canal, the archipelago takes an strategic importance since it is used as tank of coal for the ships going of Great Britain towards the Australia.
  • 1903 : Chagos are administratively separated from the Seychelles and are attached to Maurice.
  • During the Second world war, the British Royal Air Force makes use of it as bases against the Sous-marin S Japan board in the Indian Ocean.
  • After 1945, it makes it possible the United Kingdom to supervise trade route, of which those of the tankers super tankers, too large to be able to pass by the Suez Canal.
The population rises with 2.000 inhabitants, called Ilois or Chagossiens, mongrels of Africans, Asian and French colonists, primarily arrived at the XVIIIe century.
  • In the Years 1960, with the American interest for these islands and their strategic site, several changes take place:
    • In 1965, the government of London constitutes the British Territoire of the Indian Ocean ( British Indian Ocean Territory ).
    • the island Diego Garcia is rented in the United States for a fifty years lease, renewable for 20 years (thus, until in 2016) for the installation of a military base. In exchange, the United Kingdom can buy missiles fused Polaris for its submarines at reduced price.
  • In 1971, the British governor of Chagos enacted that: any person wishing to remain in the archipelago could do it only with one special permit. This one was granted only to British soldiers or states-uniens of the base of Diego Garcia. 1.100 Chagossiens or Ilois, although indigenous S, did not have this authorization and was exiled by the trick or the force, they were found with the Seychelles and especially with Maurice. Illiterates and without formation, they populated the Bidonville S of Port-Louis.
  • In 2000, the High-Court of justice of the United Kingdom gave reason to the 8.500 descendants of Chagossiens expelled. It granted the British statute of citizen to them, therefore of the European Union, and a financial compensation. A complaint against the government of the United States is always in hand.
  • In May 2005, for the first time a delegation of Chagossiens could turn over in the island to honor its deaths. Chagossiens to date deny to have touched the British assistance.

The Chagos islands are claimed by Mauritius which denounces the agreement, considered to be by it illegal, of 1965.

Sources

“Diego Garcia”, emission the lower part of the charts , television channel Arte, Germany - France, March 3rd 2004.

  • Freedom Next Time , Pilger, J., Bantam Close 2006.

External bonds

  • official site of the Swiss Committee of support for the chagossiens

  • WorldStatesmen- British Indian Ocean Territory

  • the US military presence in Chagos
  • Chagos: does a documentary film
  • the U.K. Chagos Support Association
  • have Return from Exile in Sight? The Chagossians and to their Struggle, from the '' Northwestern Newspaper off International Human Rights ''

Sources

  • the CIA - World Factbook

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