HOME WEB NEWS IMAGES CLASSIFIEDS YELLOW PAGESPOLLS - SURVEYS WIKI COUNTRIES PHOTOS US UK INDIA
Cities Stocks Weather Movies Coupons Travel Blogs Health Horoscope Maps ASIA EUROPE Classifieds Yellow Pages
 1
|
For other uses, see Diego Garcia (disambiguation).
| Diego Garcia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: NKW – ICAO: FJDG | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Naval Support Facility | ||
| Owner | United Kingdom | ||
| Operator | United States Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Marines | ||
| Location | Diego Garcia, Chagos | ||
| Built | 1980s | ||
| In use | 1971 - present | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 9 ft / 3 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 13/31 | 12,003 | 3,659 | Concrete |
Diego Garcia is an atoll located in the heart of the Indian Ocean, some 1,600 km (1,000 mi) south off India\'s and Sri Lanka\'s southern coast. Diego Garcia is the largest atoll by land area of the Chagos Archipelago. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a British overseas territory.
Since the enforced depopulation of Diego Garcia in the years leading up to 1973, it has been used as a military base by the United Kingdom and the United States. Diego Garcia along with Kwajalein and Ascension Island each host one of the three ground antennas to assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System.
The atoll is now covered in luxuriant tropical vegetation, with little sign left of the copra and coconut plantations that once covered it. The island is 60 kilometres (37 mi) long, with a maximum elevation of 6.7 metres (22 ft), and nearly encloses a lagoon some 19 kilometres (12 mi) long and up to 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide. Depths in the lagoon extend to 30 metres (98 ft), while numerous coral heads extend toward the surface and form hazards to navigation. Shallow reefs surround the island on the ocean side as well as within the lagoon. The channel and anchorage area are dredged, while the old turning basin can also be used if its depth is sufficient for the ship.
Location map of Diego Garcia.
Overhead view of Diego Garcia, looking south.
Contents |
The atoll forms a nearly complete rim of land around a lagoon, following 90 percent of its perimeter, with an opening only in the North. The main island is the largest of some sixty islands which form the Chagos Archipelago. Besides the main islands, there are three small islets at the mouth of the lagoon in the north:
The total area of the atoll measures 170 km², or 174 km² according to [1] (66 mi²), of which 30 km² (12 square mi) are land area, 17 km² (6.5 square mi) peripheral reef and 124 km² (48 mi²) are lagoon.
Annual rainfall averages 260 cm (102 in) with the heaviest precipitation occurring from October to February, though even the driest month (August) averages 100 mm (4.2 in). Temperatures are generally close to 30 °C (86 °F) by day, falling to the low 20s °C (70 °F) by night. Humidity is high throughout the year. However the almost constant breezes keep conditions reasonably comfortable.
Diego Garcia is at risk from tropical cyclones. The surrounding topography is low and does not provide an extensive wind break. However since the 1960s, the island has not been seriously affected by a severe tropical cyclone, even though it has often been threatened. The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone in the period 1970-2000 at Diego Garcia has been approximately 40 knots (75 km/h).
The island was somewhat affected by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Service personnel on the western arm of the atoll island reported only a minor increase in wave activity. The island was protected to a large degree by its favourable ocean topography. About 80 km (50 mi) east of the atoll lies the 650 km (400-mile) long Chagos Trench, an underwater canyon plunging more than 4,900 m (16,000 ft). The depth of the trench and its grade to the atoll\'s slope and shelf shore makes it more difficult for substantial tsunami waves to build before passing the atoll from the east. In addition, near shore coral reefs and an algal platform may have dissipated much of the waves\' impact."Diego Garcia Navy base reports no damage from quake, tsunamis". Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes. 28 December 2004. URL accessed 1 June 2006.Sheppard, Charles (April 2005). "The Tsunami, Shore Erosion and Corals in the Chagos Islands". Chagos News 25: 2-7. Chagos Conservation Trust. ISSN 1355-6746. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. A biological survey conducted in early 2005 indicated erosional effects of the tsunami wave on Diego Garcia and other islands of the Chagos Archipelago. One 200 to 300 metre stretch of atoll shoreline was found to have been breached by the tsunami wave, representing approximately 10 percent of the eastern arm. A biological survey by the Chagos Conservation Trust reported that the resulting inundation additionally washed away shoreline shrubs and small to medium size coconut palms.
On November 30, 1983 a magnitude 7 earthquake 55 km (34 mi) northwest of the island spawned a small tsunami resulting in a 1.5 m (5 ft) rise in wave height in the Diego Garcia lagoon, causing some damage to buildings, piers and the runway.
Portuguese explorers discovered Diego Garcia in the early sixteenth century. The island\'s name is believed to have come from either the ship\'s captain or the navigator on that early voyage of discovery.
The islands remained uninhabited until the 18th century when the French established copra plantations with the help of slave labour. Diego Garcia became a possession of the United Kingdom after the Napoleonic wars, and from 1814 to 1965, it was a dependency of Mauritius.
In 1965, the Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia, were detached from Mauritius to form part of the British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT). In 1966, the crown bought the islands and plantations, which had been under private ownership and which had not been profitable with the introduction of new oils and lubricants. In 1971, the plantations were closed because of the agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States to make Diego Garcia available to the U.S. as a military base. No payment was made as part of this arrangement, although it has been claimed that the United Kingdom received a US$14 million discount on the acquisition of Polaris missiles from the United States."Westminster Hall Debates for 7 July 2004". Hansard House of Commons Daily Debates vol. 423 (part 615). Retrieved on 2008-02-21. This agreement also forbids any other economic activity on the island.
Until 1971, Diego Garcia had a native population of 2,000 individuals, known as the Chagossians (or Ilois), which was composed of the descendants of East Indian workers and African slaves who had been brought to the island in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to work on the coconut and copra plantations. They lived in three settlements: East Point (the main settlement on the eastern rim of the atoll), Minni Minni (4.5 km or 2.75 mi north of East Point), and Pointe Marianne (on the western rim). The islanders were forcibly depopulated to the Seychelles and then to Mauritius amid starvation and intimidation tactics by the UK government. Ever since their expulsion, the Chagossians have continually asserted their right to return to Diego Garcia. In April 2006, 102 Chagossians were allowed to visit Diego Garcia for a week, to tend to graves and visit their birthplaces."Emotional return for Chagossians". BBC News. 14 April 2006. URL accessed 1 June 2006. "Out of Eden". John Pilger, The Guardian. 29 May 2006. URL accessed 1 June 2006
Diego Garcia Police Station.
Now, Diego Garcia is home to a military base jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom. The base serves as a naval refuelling and support station. It also serves as the home to Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two, the naval unit responsible for the readiness of the ships in Military Sealift Command Prepositioning Program in the Indian Ocean, a vital strategic asset to the United States."Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two", URL Accessed 1 February 2007 Diego Garcia also has an air base that supports the largest of modern aircraft. B-52s, other bombers, and aerial refueling tanker aircraft have been deployed to Diego Garcia to execute missions to Iraq in support of the Iraq War. During the 1991 Gulf War, it was home to the 4300 Provisional Bomb Wing, made up of B-52G bombers from Loring AFB and other B-52G bases. Diego Garcia was also used in support of military missions in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and to Iraq again during the 2003 invasion. High-tech portable shelters to support the B-2 bomber were built on the island before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The B-52s, B-1s and B-2s deployed to Diego Garcia, in anticipation of the second Iraq War carried out the initial aerial bombardment on Baghdad on March 22, 2003. Some of these bombers dropped GPS guided bombs and laser guided 1,905 kg (4,200 lb.) bunker busters in "decapitation strikes" intended to kill Saddam Hussein and other Baath Party officials.Chalmers Johnson, The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, secrecy and the end of the republic (London: Verso, 2004) 221-2. Diego Garcia is also a regular deployment site for U.S. Navy P-3C Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft.
GEODSS at Diego Garcia.
The base is part of the U.S. Space Surveillance Network,United State Strategic Command: "Re-entry Assessment and Space Surveillance". U.S. Strategic Command. March 2004. URL accessed 1 June 2006 with a three-telescope GEODSS station, and is a NASA Space Shuttle emergency landing site."Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites". GlobalSecurity.org. URL accessed 1 June 2006.Neither the U.S. nor the UK recognises Diego Garcia as being subject to the African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty, even though the rest of the Chagos Archipelago is included, suggesting the U.S. and/or UK wishes to maintain the freedom to base nuclear weapons there.
The agreement between the UK and U.S. for the U.S. to use the island as a military base was made in 1966. It specifies that the agreement runs until 2036, but that either government can opt out of the agreement in 2016.
Construction and maintenance of the base\'s communications equipment, fuel facilities and military hardware is done strictly by military contractors, and inventories of that weaponry are classified. No service-member family dependents are allowed. In 2001, the U.S. Department of Defense said that there were more buildings on Diego Garcia (654) than military personnel.Chalmers Johnson, The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, secrecy and the end of the republic (London: Verso, 2004) 221.
Detailed map of Diego Garcia.
In 2000, the High Court granted the islanders the right to return to the Archipelago and granted them UK citizenship. In 2002, the islanders and their descendants, now numbering 4,500, returned to court requesting compensation, after two years of delays by the British Foreign Office. However, on June 10, 2004, the British government made two Orders-in-Council banning the islanders from returning home, reversing the 2000 court decision.Developments in the British Indian Ocean Territory. UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (15 June 2004). Retrieved on 2008-02-21. Some of the Chagossians are making return plans to turn Diego Garcia into a sugarcane and fishing enterprise as soon as the defence agreement expires (possibly as early as 2016, but almost certainly in 2036 — unless the agreement is renewed). A few dozen other Chagossians are still fighting to be housed in the UK."Exiles protest in Downing Street". BBC News. 3 November 2004. URL accessed 1 June 2006
On May 11, 2006, the British High Court ruled that the 2004 Orders-in-Council were unlawful, and that the Chagossians were entitled to return to the Chagos Archipelago.Neil Tweedie. "Britain shamed as exiles of the Chagos Islands win the right to go home", The Daily Telegraph, 12 May 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. This judgment was upheld by the Court of Appeal on May 23, 2007."Chagos families win legal battle", BBC News, 23 May 2007. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and The Queen on the Application Of Bancoult [2007] EWCA 498 (Civ) It is not known whether the British Government will make a further appeal, or how and when the judgment might be carried out.
Human rights groups claim that the military base is used by the U.S. government for the controversial extraordinary rendition of prisoners. This claim was supported by the Council of Europe in June 2007.Dick Marty, Switzerland, ALDE (7 June 2007). "Secret detentions and illegal transfers of detainees involving Council of Europe member states: second report" (.PDF). Section 70; page 13. Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. The British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw stated in parliament that U.S. authorities have repeatedly assured him that no detainees have passed in transit through Diego Garcia or have disembarked there."Written Answers to Questions 21 Jun 2004". Hansard House of Commons Daily Debates vol. 422 (part 605). UK Parliament. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. In October 2007 the all-party Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament announced that it would launch an investigation of the claims, which it is reported were twice confirmed by General Barry McCaffrey.
On October 19 2007 The Guardian reported: "The all-party foreign affairs committee is to examine long-standing suspicions that the agency has operated one of its so-called "black site" prisons on Diego Garcia..."Ian Cobain; Richard Norton-Taylor. "Claims of secret CIA jail for terror suspects on British island to be investigated", The Guardian, 19 October 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-21. The Guardian quoted British Member of Parliament Andrew Tyrie, "Time and time again the UK government has relied on US assurances on this issue, refusing to examine the truth of these allegations for themselves. It is high time our government took its head out of the sand and looked into these allegations."
On February 21 2008, the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband admitted that two US extraordinary rendition flights refueled on Diego Garcia in 2002.Staff writers. "UK apology over rendition flights", BBC News, 21 February 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. Further, it has been implied that these actions constituted a direct breach of the treaty between the US and the UK concerning Diego Garcia.James Robbins. "Miliband\'s apology over \'rendition\'", BBC News, 21 February 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
On 12 March 2008, The Guardian reported that two British protesters had been arrested for "entering the waters [of Diego Garcia] illegally" "British campaigners arrested at sea in Diego Garcia protest" by Duncan Campbell in the Guardian unlimited website: 12 March 2008 and "Quakers express support for campaigners arrested over Diego Garcia protest" in Ekklesia: a new way of thinking News release. and People\'s Navy website- "Still no word from Pete and Jon" 12 March 2008 (all accessed 13 March 2008)..
During the Cold War era, the United States was keen on establishing a military base in the Indian Ocean. Because of Diego Garcia\'s proximity to India, a potential ally of the Soviet Union, the United States saw the island as a strategically important one. U.S. military activities in Diego Garcia have caused friction between India and U.S. in the past."Bush\'s response to South Asia disaster: indifference compounded by political incompetence". Patrick Martin, World Socialist Web Site. 30 December 2004. URL accessed 1 June 2006. Various political parties in India repeatedly demanded that the U.S. dismantle the military base as they saw U.S. naval presence in Diego Garcia as a potential threat to India\'s dominance of the Indian Ocean."Making India an Appendage to US". Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India (Marxist). 1 July 2001. URL accessed 1 June 2006.
However, after the end of the Cold War, relations between India and U.S. have improved dramatically. Diego Garcia was the site of several naval exercises between the U.S. and Indian Navy held between 2001 and 2004.
Diego Garcia is also located relatively close to the Middle East, and experienced rapid military build-ups during the beginnings of the Iranian revolution and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Diego Garcia has several current missions. U.S. Air Force bombers and AWACS surveillance planes operate from the 3,650 m (12,000 ft) runway, and the USAF Space Command has built a satellite tracking station and communications facility.
The atoll also shelters the 14 ships of Marine Prepositioning Squadron Two. These ships carry the equipment and supplies to support a major armed force with light tanks, armored personnel carriers, munitions, fuel, spare parts and even a mobile field hospital. This equipment showed its necessity during the Persian Gulf War, when the Squadron quickly delivered its equipment to Saudi Arabia. There, soldiers flown on air transports from U.S. and European bases quickly unloaded and deployed the pre-positioned material.
|
|
This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
There are five cargo vessels that each carry Marine Corps supplies sufficient to support a Marine Air-Ground Task Force 30 days.
The four combat force ships provide rapid-response delivery of U.S. Army equipment to ground troops. Three are Lighter aboard ships (LASH) which carry barges called Lighters that contain Army ammunition to be ferried ashore.
Five logistics vessels[clarify] service the rapid delivery requirements of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and Defense Logistics Agency. There are two Air Force container ships for munitions, missiles and spare parts; a 500-bed hospital ship, and three floating storage and offloading units assigned to Military Sealift Command supporting the Defense Logistics Agency, including an offshore petroleum discharge system (OPDS) tanker ship.
Diego Garcia acts as one of the five control bases for the Global Positioning System, operated by the US military. US Air Force also has monitoring stations in Hawaii, Kwajalein, Ascension Island, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The stations synchronise and update the atomic clocks on the 24 orbiting satellites that emit the signals used by GPS receivers.
The island also functions as one of 33 emergency landing sites worldwide for the United States Space Shuttle.John Pike (27 April 2004). Space Shuttle Landing Sites. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2008-02-20. None of these facilities has ever been host to a Shuttle landing.
The island is also a haven for several types of crab; hermit crabs overrun the jungle at night. The extremely large 4 kg coconut crab, or "robber crab" is found here as well. There is a large number of red crabs everywhere in the island though it is not known to which species they belong. They could be seen everywhere (tents, showers, laundry rooms, runway, etc..) The Island also plays host to various birds from many different regions including: Indian Barred Ground Dove (Geopelia striata), Turtle Dove (Streptopelia picturata), Indian Mynah (Acridotheres tristis), Madagascar Fody (Foudia madagascariensis), and imported chickens (Gallus gallus).Ted Morris (04 April 2007). Herons and Land Birds of Diego Garcia. PROPEOPDEMREPDG. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
All of the flora and fauna are protected and it is even unlawful to be in possession of a dead coconut crab. Hefty fines are levied against violators.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
| Atolls of the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) | |
|---|---|
| Atolls with land area | Diego Garcia · Egmont Islands · Peros Banhos · Salomon Islands · Great Chagos Bank · Blenheim Reef · Speakers Bank |
| Totally submerged | Colvocoresses Reef · Benares Shoals · Victory Bank · Cauvin Bank · Pitt Bank · Ganges Bank · Wight Bank · Centurion Bank · Owen Bank |
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
