BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY

Six atolls of the Chagos Archipelago comprising 23 square miles of tropical islands.

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c. 1605: Portuguese explorer Vasca da Gama discovers the Chagos Archipelago.

1810: During the Napoleonic Wars, the British capture Mauritius, the French territory from which the French claim to the islands had been asserted.

1814: The French formally cede the islands to Great Britain.

1965: The BIOT comes into existence, consisting of the Chagos Archipelago and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches. It is (still) claimed by Mauritius; an agreement states that the British will give the islands to Mauritius if they are no longer required for military purposes.

1966: Residents of the largest island, Diego Garcia, are relocated to Mauritius to make room for a UK-US naval facility. The Diego Garcians are still trying to get their island back.

1976: Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches are transferred to the Seychelles when it attains independence.

1991: Gulf War. US use of the airbase increases.

2003: Iraq War. US use of the airbase increases.

2007: After many cases, the courts finally rule in favour of the islanders, allowing them to return to all the islands except Diego Garcia.

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