Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia

Context

 Donald Trump’s reference to Diego Garcia while justifying the Greenland bid highlights how geography, military basing, and sovereignty disputes are central to contemporary geopolitics

About Chagos Archipelago

• Location: 500 km to the South of the Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean, roughly halfway between Africa and Indonesia
• It comprises around 58 islands.
• Mauritius, which gained independence from Britain in 1968, has consistently maintained its claim over the Chagos Islands.
• In 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed the UK’s right to govern the Chagos Islands and called on its government to withdraw from the archipelago.

About Diego Garcia

• • Location: Central Indian Ocean, part of Chagos Archipelago.
  • It is the largest of 58 islands that form the Chagos Archipelago within the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
  • It is leased to the United States for a military base.

• Features:

• • It is a coral atoll with an open lagoon at its northern end.
  • Discovered by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
  • Located in the south of the equator.

• Strategic Importance of Diego Garcia

• Power Projection Hub: Its central Indian Ocean location enables military power projection across the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia.
• Operational Role: The base has supported major US military operations, including the Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Counter-Terror Platform: Post-9/11, Diego Garcia has served as a critical hub for counter-terrorism missions.
• Maritime Surveillance: The base facilitates monitoring of the Malacca Strait, a vital global trade chokepoint, particularly significant for China’s energy security.
• Indo-Pacific Stability: According to US and UK assessments, Diego Garcia underpins Indo-Pacific stability by enabling rapid military response and strategic deterrence.

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