UK hands Chagos Islands to Mauritius

Under a $4.6bn deal, Britain hands over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining control of a UK-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia – the largest of the islands

CHAGOS HISTORY

1814: Britain takes possession of islands after capturing French colony of Mauritius

1965: Mauritius sells islands to Britain three years before it gains independence. Islands become British Indian Ocean Territory

1966: Largest island, Diego Garcia, leased to U.S. for military base

1967-73: Britain moves around 2,000 islanders to Mauritius and Seychelles to make way for base

1982: Britain pays small amount of compensation to some Chagos Islanders in Mauritius

2017: UN asks International Court of Justice (ICJ) to examine legal status of islands

2019: ICJ says UK should end rule over islands as soon as possible

May 22, 2025: Britain hands sovereignty to Mauritius, but will lease use of Diego Garcia for 99 years – at cost of $136m per year

CHAGOS ISLANDS
(British Indian Ocean Territory)

Land
Shallow reef
Submerged reef
Egmont Islands
Cauvin Bank
Diego Garcia: Naval/air base
Pitt Bank
Peros Banhos Atoll
Salomon Islands
Great Chagos Bank
Speakers Bank
50km
30 miles
Indian Ocean
SEYCHELLES
MAURITIUS
Chagos Islands
INDIA
2,000km
1,250 miles

B-52 bombers at Diego Garcia – base has played key strategic role in U.S. operations in Indian Ocean

Sources: Reuters, BBC, AP
Picture: U.S. Department of Defence
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