Chagos Islands
Map: world
Current relevance:
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has sought
talks with the UK over the Chagos Islands, opposing their proposed transfer
to Mauritius, while the UK would retain the Diego Garcia military
base for 99 years.
Continent:
The Chagos
Archipelago is an island group in the central Indian Ocean, south of the
Maldives; geographically it is an Indian Ocean island territory rather
than part of a continental landmass.
Bordering Countries:
The Chagos Islands have no land
borders. Important nearby Indian Ocean countries to locate are Maldives,
Mauritius, Seychelles, India and Sri Lanka.
Important Places:
1.
Chagos Archipelago: Group
of islands and atolls in the central Indian Ocean.
2. Diego
Garcia: Largest and strategically most important island of the
archipelago, hosting a major joint UK–U.S. military facility.
3. Maldives:
Located north of the Chagos Archipelago and now contesting the proposed
sovereignty arrangement.
4. Mauritius: Island
country southwest of Chagos. The 2025 UK–Mauritius agreement provides for
Mauritian sovereignty over the archipelago once the treaty enters into force.
5. Peros
Banhos and Salomon Islands: Important northern island groups within the
Chagos Archipelago, useful for map identification.
Significance:
1.
Strategic military location: Diego
Garcia hosts a strategically critical UK–U.S. military base, which the
UK describes as important for regional and global security.
2. Indian
Ocean geopolitics: The archipelago lies in the central Indian
Ocean, giving it major strategic importance for operations and maritime
security across the wider Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific.
3. Sovereignty
issue: The UK's 2025 treaty recognises Mauritius as
sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, subject to
the treaty entering into force.
4. Maritime
boundaries: The Chagos region is also important for EEZ and
continental-shelf delimitation, particularly involving Mauritius and the
Maldives.
5. Marine
environment: The UK–Mauritius framework also provides for cooperation
on marine environmental protection, fisheries and maritime security.
Source: THE HINDU