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173-599: The British Indian Ocean Territory ( BIOT ) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean , halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia . The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 individual islands, many very small, amounting to a total land area of 60 square kilometres (23 square miles). The largest and most southerly island

346-707: A 2004 Order in Council preventing the Chagossians' resettlement of the islands was unlawful, and consequently that the Chagossians were entitled to return to the outer islands of the Chagos Archipelago. On 23 May 2007, this was confirmed by the Court of Appeal. In a visit sponsored by the British government, the islanders visited Diego Garcia and other islands on 3 April 2006 for humanitarian purposes, including

519-539: A 34-year hiatus from 1968 to 2002. Defence of the overseas territories is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. Many of the overseas territories are used as military bases by the United Kingdom- and its allies: As overseas territories were added to the land conquered by the British, a number of towns and villages began to request formal recognition to validate their importance, and would be accorded

692-717: A July 1971 deadline requested by the US. The populations of Peros Banhos and the Salomon Islands were removed starting from June 1972. The population as of 1965 was around 1,360 Chagossians, plus temporary workers from the Seychelles. Another few hundred Chagossians already lived outside of the islands. The UK informed the United Nations that BIOT had no indigenous population, meaning the UK would not have to send reports on

865-584: A UK police force, and specialist staff and equipment may be sent to assist the local force. Some territories may have other forces beyond the main territorial police, for instance an airport police, such as Airport Security Police (Bermuda) , or a defence police force, such as the Gibraltar Defence Police . In addition, most territories have customs, immigration, border and coastguard agencies. Territories with military bases or responsibilities may also have "Overseas Service Police", members of

1038-421: A base. The island was strategically located near oil shipping routes, and Iran. It would counter any Soviet threat in the region. As of 1971, the population of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Desroches was 246. This dropped to 155 in 1975, likely reflecting uncertainty about these islands' future status. On 23 June 1976, these islands were returned to the Seychelles, which became independent as a republic on 29 June 1976;

1211-610: A better life. An American law passed in 1833 abolished the imprisonment of debtors, which made prosecuting runaway servants more difficult, increasing the risk of indenture contract purchases. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , passed in the wake of the American Civil War , made involuntary indentured servitude illegal in the United States. Through its introduction,

1384-467: A colony, at the same time re-designated a British Dependent Territory . This category of citizenship was distinguished from British Citizenship by what it did not include — the rights of abode and free entry to the United Kingdom — and was not specific to any colony but to all collectively, except for Gibraltar and the Falklands Islands, the people of which retained British Citizenship . It

1557-535: A different constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom. The British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are themselves distinct from the Commonwealth realms , a group of 15 independent countries (including the United Kingdom) sharing Charles III as monarch and head of state , and from the Commonwealth of Nations , a voluntary association of 56 countries mostly with historic links to

1730-585: A further 19% on military patrol duties. In 2016, a new contract was signed with Scottish -based North Star Shipping for the use of the vessel MV Grampian Frontier (also known as the Grampian Endurance ). She is a 70 metres (230 feet) vessel carrying up to 24 personnel, and fulfils both the patrol and research role. The vessel reportedly operates in conjunction with personnel from NP 1002 on both fisheries and military enforcement tasks / exercises , and also carries scientists / researchers involved in

1903-400: A governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. Currently (2019) all but two governors are either career diplomats or have worked in other civil service departments. The remaining two governors are former members of the British armed forces. In territories without a permanent population, a commissioner is usually appointed to represent the monarch. Exceptionally, in

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2076-572: A law on a particular topic then, in most circumstances, the laws that apply in the territory are the same as those that apply in England and Wales under the terms of the Courts Ordinance 1983. There is no legislature (and no elections) as there are no permanent inhabitants, although a small legal system has been established for the jurisdiction. As almost all residents of the BIOT are members of

2249-569: A major reception centre for indentured Indians from India who came to work on plantations following the abolition of slavery. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948) declares in Article 4 "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms". More specifically, it is dealt with by article 1(a) of

2422-470: A maximum speed of 12.5 knots (23.2 kilometres per hour ; 14.4 miles per hour ) with an economic speed of 11 knots (20 kilometres per hour; 13 miles per hour), permitting a range of about 18,000 nautical miles (33,000 kilometres; 21,000 miles) and fuel endurance of 68 days. It was the oldest vessel in the Swire fleet. Pacific Marlin reportedly spent about 54% of her taskings on fishery patrol duties, and

2595-433: A much higher rate than men due to the high population of men already in the colonies. However, women had to prove their status as single and eligible to emigrate, as married women could not leave without their husbands. Many women seeking escape from abusive relationships were willing to take that chance. The Indian Immigration Act of 1883 prevented women from exiting India as widowed or single in order to escape. Arrival in

2768-654: A parent's consent. Such differences in social classes would ensure that alliances between the two groups would not lead to revolts towards plantation owners and managers. As well, during periods of mass indentured servitude of Irish peoples in the Caribbean, certain Irish individuals would use enslaved labour to profit financially and climb the ladder of social class. Historians Kristen Block and Jenny Shaw write that: "the Irish - by virtue of their European heritage - gained […] greater social and economic mobility." An example

2941-555: A possession of Mauritius. They were first settled in the 18th century by African slaves and Indian contractors brought by Franco-Mauritians to found coconut plantations. At some point Diego Garcia hosted a leper colony for patients from Mauritius, who were treated with turtle oil. In 1810, Mauritius was captured by the United Kingdom, and France subsequently ceded the territory in the Treaty of Paris in 1814. The United Kingdom abolished slavery in 1833 , although those on what would become

3114-500: A range of research work, particularly conservation. In 2022, Grampian Frontier tracked a Mauritian-charted vessel temporarily bringing Chagossian exiles to Blenheim Reef in the archipelago. The Royal Navy also maintains two offshore patrol vessels in the Indo-Pacific region, HMS  Tamar and HMS  Spey . Either may be periodically employed for sovereignty protection and other duties in BIOT waters. HMS Tamar paid

3287-467: A rare visit to the islands in February/March 2023 conducting fisheries protection and other missions. The territory is an archipelago of 58 islands covering 56 square kilometres (22 sq mi). The largest island is Diego Garcia , which at 32.5 square kilometres (12.5 sq mi) accounts for about half of the territory's total land area. The rest of the island's are much smaller, with

3460-485: A status if deemed to be deserving such as a borough or as a more prestigious city by the monarch. Many cities were designated over several centuries, and as Anglican dioceses began to be created internationally from the 18th century, the process of city creation became aligned to that used in England, being linked to the presence of a cathedral . Later on, this process became untenable and other selection criteria and royal occasions were used instead. However, mainly from

3633-525: Is Diego Garcia , 27 square kilometres (10 square miles), the site of a Joint Military Facility of the United Kingdom and the United States . Official administration is remote from London , though the local capital is often regarded as being on Diego Garcia. The only inhabitants are British and United States military personnel, and associated contractors , who collectively number around 3,000 (2018 figures). The forced removal of Chagossians from

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3806-511: Is 27 °C (81 °F), and does not vary greatly throughout the year. While rain is common, the territory lies outside of cyclone paths that cross the Indian Ocean further south. The Diego Garcia military base is the United States military's overseas base most at risk from climate change . In terms of transportation on Diego Garcia, the island has short stretches of paved road between the port and airfield , and on its streets; transport

3979-469: Is a former indentured servant in Barbados, Cornelius Bryan, would go on to own land and enslaved people himself, demonstrating the tiers between servant and slave classes. The Indian indenture system was a system of indenture by which two million Indians called coolies were transported to various colonies of European powers to provide labour for the (mainly sugar) plantations. It started from

4152-493: Is best seen here as women were still subjected to the control of the plantation owners as well as their newly assigned 'partner'. Indentured servitude of Irish and other European peoples occurred in seventeenth-century Barbados, and was fundamentally different from enslavement: an enslaved African's body was owned, as were the bodies of their children, while the labour of indentured servants was under contractual ownership of another person. Laws and racial hierarchy would allow for

4325-468: Is directly present in the territory, and is composed of both Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel. NP 1002 is responsible for civil administration and enforcement. Its members are tasked with policing and carrying out customs duties. Royal Marines in the territory also reportedly form a security detachment. Prior to 2017, the BIOT patrol vessel, MV Pacific Marlin , was based in Diego Garcia . It

4498-603: Is impossible to find a jury who will not know the defendant in a small population island. Whilst many are geographically remote, the British Overseas Territories share a direct connection with elements of supervisory governance (as did the now independent Commonwealth Nations) still exercisable by the UK’s Government in London, UK. The 2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial is an example of how

4671-482: Is mostly by bicycle and on foot. The island had many wagonways , which were donkey-hauled narrow gauge railways for the transport of coconut wagons. These are no longer in use and have deteriorated. Diego Garcia's military base is home to the territory's only airport . At 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) long, the runway is capable of supporting heavy US Air Force bombers such as the B-52 , and would have been able to support

4844-421: Is primarily staffed by the US military, although the UK maintains a garrison at all times, and Royal Air Force (RAF) long-range patrol aircraft are deployed there. During the 1980s, Mauritius asserted a claim to sovereignty for the territory, citing the 1965 separation as illegal under international law, despite their apparent agreement at the time. The UK did not agree with the legal argument, but agreed to cede

5017-499: Is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible". On 22 May 2019, the UNGA adopted a resolution citing the ICJ advisory opinion, affirming that "the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius". The motion was approved by a majority vote with 116 member states voting for and 6 against. Votes against included

5190-463: Is used elsewhere in Misplaced Pages to refer to all such statuses of various of the British Overseas Territories collectively. This status is neither a nationality nor a citizenship, although it confers rights under local legislation. Prior to 1968, the British government made no citizenship (or connected rights) distinction between its nationals in the United Kingdom and those in the British colonies (as

5363-707: The American Colonies between the 1630s and the American Revolution came under indentures . However, while almost half the European immigrants to the Thirteen Colonies were indentured servants, at any one time they were outnumbered by workers who had never been indentured, or whose indenture had expired, and thus free wage labor was the more prevalent for Europeans in the colonies. Indentured people were numerically important mostly in

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5536-546: The British Empire , transportation of Indian labour to the island gained pace. By 1838, 25,000 Indian labourers had been transported to Mauritius. After the end of slavery, the West Indian sugar colonies tried the use of emancipated slaves , families from Ireland , Germany and Malta and Portuguese from Madeira . All these efforts failed to satisfy the labour needs of the colonies due to high mortality of

5709-556: The British Overseas Territories Act 2002 ). Most countries do not recognise the sovereignty claims of any other country, including Britain's, to Antarctica and its off-shore islands. Five nations contest, with counter-claims, the UK's sovereignty in the following overseas territories: The people of the British Overseas Territories are British Nationals. Most of the overseas territories distinguish between those British nationals who have rights reserved under

5882-757: The Chagossian people. There are no official population figures, but an estimate from 1968 found 866 inhabitants: 336 in Diego Garcia, 162 in the Salomon islands, and 168 in Peros Banhos. The vital statistics were likely similar to other Indian Ocean islands. The birth rate on the Chagos archipelago was probably around 48 in every 1000. The birth rate for the former Seychellois islands was nominally lower, likely due to inhabitants more easily able to travel to

6055-807: The Commonwealth of Nations through the United Kingdom. The inhabited territories compete in their own right at the Commonwealth Games , and three of the territories ( Bermuda , the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands ) sent teams to the 2016 Summer Olympics . Although the Crown Dependencies of Jersey , Guernsey and the Isle of Man are also under the sovereignty of the British monarch , they are in

6228-575: The Ellice Islands (subsequently known as Tuvalu ). They became collectively known as " Kanakas ". Indentured labour existed in Papua New Guinea . It remains unknown how many Islanders the trade controversially kidnapped. Whether the system legally recruited Islanders, persuaded, deceived, coerced or forced them to leave their homes and travel by ship to Queensland remains difficult to determine. Official documents and accounts from

6401-879: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has the responsibility of looking after the interests of all overseas territories except the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence . Within the FCDO, the general responsibility for the territories is handled by the Overseas Territories Directorate. In 2012, the FCO published The Overseas Territories: security, success and sustainability which set out Britain's policy for

6574-677: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and are subject to change. Most of the territories retain permanent civilian populations, with the exceptions of the British Antarctic Territory , South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (which host only officials and research station staff) and the British Indian Ocean Territory (used as a military base). Permanent residency for the approximately 7,000 civilians living in

6747-813: The French Southern and Antarctic Lands , with the French Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean and its dependencies of Tromelin and the Glorioso Islands ; along with French Mayotte and Réunion . The head of government is the Commissioner , most recently Paul Candler until August 2024; the Deputy Commissioner is Nishi Dholakia, and the Administrator is Emily Ager, and all senior officials reside in

6920-568: The High Court of England and Wales in 2000, 2006, and 2007. In the High Court and Court of Appeal in 2003 and 2004, the islanders' application for further compensation on top of the £14.5 million value package of compensation they had already received was dismissed by the court. Following the 2000 ruling the British government announced that Chagossians would be permitted to return to the archipelago, aside from Diego Garcia. This position

7093-514: The International Court of Justice , which issued an advisory opinion on 25 February 2019 which supported the position of the government of Mauritius. On 3 October 2024, British prime minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian prime minister Pravind Jugnauth jointly announced that an agreement had been reached under which the UK would cede sovereignty over the territory. Under the deal, Diego Garcia will be excluded from any resettlement, and

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7266-692: The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea reached similar decisions. Negotiations between the UK and Mauritius began in November 2022, and culminated in an October 2024 agreement that the UK would eventually cede the territory to Mauritius while retaining the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia. Maldivian mariners knew of the Chagos Islands, which were known as Fōlhavahi in

7439-516: The New Palace of Westminster . Speaker of the House of Commons , Sir Lindsay Hoyle said "The two windows represent part of our United Kingdom family". The head of state in the overseas territories is the British monarch, currently King Charles III. The monarch appoints a representative in each territory to exercise the executive power of the monarch. In territories with a permanent population,

7612-774: The Russian invasion of Ukraine . Further pressure grew regarding Africa's "last colony", and in September 2022 British prime minister Liz Truss met with Mauritian prime minister Pravind Jugnauth On 3 November 2022, the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced that the UK and Mauritius had decided to begin negotiations on sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, taking into account international legal proceedings. Both states had agreed to ensure

7785-610: The Space Shuttle in the event of a mission abort. It also has a major naval seaport, and there is also a marina bus service along the main road of the island. British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories ( BOTs ) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming part of the United Kingdom itself, are part of its sovereign territory. The permanently inhabited territories are delegated varying degrees of internal self-governance , with

7958-594: The Swan River area of Western Australia existed between 1829 and 1832. During the 1860s planters in Australia , Fiji , New Caledonia , and the Samoa Islands , in need of laborers, encouraged a trade in long-term indentured labor called "blackbirding". At the height of the labor trade, more than one-half the adult male population of several of the islands worked abroad. Over a period of 40 years, from

8131-403: The United Kingdom were stripped of the rights of abode and free entry in 1968, and, in 1983, the British government replaced Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies with British Citizenship (with rights of abode and free entry to the United Kingdom) for those with a qualifying connection to the United Kingdom or British Dependent Territories Citizenship for those with a connection only to

8304-484: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted to refer the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by 94 to 15. There were 65 abstentions, including British allies such as Canada, France, and Germany. In February 2019, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion by 13 votes to 1. In its advisory opinion, the Court concluded that "the process of decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed when that country acceded to independence", and that "the United Kingdom

8477-407: The handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the British government amended the 1981 Act to give British citizenship without restrictions to all BDTCs (the status was also renamed BOTC at the same time) except for those solely connected with Akrotiri and Dhekelia (whose residents already held Cypriot citizenship ). This restored the right of abode in the UK to residents of overseas territories after

8650-488: The "indentured" and "slaves" to be treated differently, as well as their identities to be defined differently.   Barbados is an example of a colony in which the separation between enslaved Africans and "servants" was codified into law. Distinct legal "acts" were created in 1661 treating each party as a separate group. The British ruling class anxieties over Irish loyalties would lead to harsh policing of Irish servants' movements, for instance, needing "reason" to leave

8823-534: The 1651 Battle of Worcester . King James II acted similarly after the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, and the use of such measures continued into the 18th century. Indentured servants could not marry without the permission of their master, were frequently subject to physical punishment, and did not receive legal favor from the courts. Female indentured servants in particular might be raped and/or sexually abused by their masters. If children were produced

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8996-531: The 18th and early 19th centuries, children from the UK were often kidnapped and sold into indentured labor in the American and Caribbean colonies (often without any indentures). Indentured servitude was also used by governments in Britain for captured prisoners of war in rebellions and civil wars. Oliver Cromwell sent into indentured service thousands of prisoners captured in the 1648 Battle of Preston and

9169-446: The 1920s become known as dominions . The dominions achieved almost full independence with the Statute of Westminster (1931) . Through a process of decolonisation following the Second World War, most of the British colonies in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean chose independence. Some colonies became Commonwealth realms , retaining the monarch as their own head of state . Most former colonies and protectorates became member states of

9342-400: The 2001 War in Afganistan and the 2003 Iraq War . On 1 October 1991, the UK created the "BIOT Fisheries Conservation and Management Zone (FCMZ)" covering the territorial seas of the BIOT. On 4 December 1995, the UK signed the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement on behalf of the BIOT, which was protested by Mauritius when it signed in 1997. Both Mauritius and the United Kingdom agreed to

9515-686: The 20th century onwards, increasing levels of states becoming fully independent caused the numbers of remaining cities to reduce substantially. Indentured servitude Historically, in an apprenticeship , an apprentice worked with no pay for a master tradesman to learn a trade . This was often for a fixed length of time, usually seven years or less. Apprenticeship was not the same as indentureship, although many apprentices were tricked into falling into debt and thus having to indenture themselves for years more to pay off such sums. Like any loan , an indenture could be sold. Most masters had to depend on middlemen or ships' masters to recruit and transport

9688-438: The Antarctic territory is only 18,015 km  [6,956 sq mi]), while the two largest territories by population, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda , account for about half of the total BOT population. The Cayman Islands alone comprise 28% of the entire BOT population. At the other end of the scale, three territories have no civilian inhabitants – the Antarctic Territory (currently consisting of five research stations),

9861-427: The BIOT continued work as indentured labour . In 1883 the plantations were bought by the Société Huilière de Diego et Peros. As of 1900 there were 426 families on the islands, 60 percent descended from the original African-Malagasy slaves, and 40% descended from South Asians brought over as indentured labour. Chagossian creole developed as a common language. The lives of the population remained effectively controlled by

10034-490: The BIOT. Around 173 arrived in 2021 and 2022. Some were moved to Rwanda , with around 60 left as of January 2024. In 2022, a dispute arising from American defence contractor KBR allegedly prohibiting holidays during a period of low flight demand during the COVID-19 pandemic led to 800 Overseas Filipino Workers being unable to leave Diego Garcia. Comparisons between the BIOT and occupied areas of Ukraine hindered British diplomatic efforts to obtain Ukrainian support following

10207-415: The British Empire (which also includes all Commonwealth realms). Notably, while not independent Commonwealth realms, the territories are separately represented at the Commonwealth Games on the same basis as independent nation members, as are the three Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man. Full British citizenship has been granted to most 'belongers' of overseas territories (mainly since

10380-410: The British Indian Ocean Territory (whose inhabitants, the Chagossians , were forcibly moved to Mauritius and the United Kingdom between 1968 and 1973), and South Georgia (which actually did have a full-time population of two between 1992 and 2006). Pitcairn Islands , settled by the survivors of the mutiny on the Bounty , is the smallest settled territory, with 49 inhabitants (all of whom live on

10553-423: The British Overseas Territories were then termed). Indeed, the people of Bermuda had been explicitly guaranteed by Royal Charters for the Virginia Company in 1607 (extended to Bermuda in 1612) and the Somers Isles Company (in 1615) that they and their descendants would have exactly the same rights as they would if they had they been born in England. Despite this, British Colonials without a qualifying connection to

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10726-422: The British Parliament passed the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 which introduced the current name of British Overseas Territories . This reclassified the UK's dependent territories as overseas territories and, with the exception of those people solely connected with the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus, restored full British citizenship to their inhabitants. During the European Union (EU) membership of

10899-666: The British introduced the Indian indenture system, resulting in a permanent Indian South African presence. On 18 January 1826, the Government of the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion laid down terms for the introduction of Indian labourers to the colony. Each man was required to appear before a magistrate and declare that he was going voluntarily. The contract was for five years with pay of ₹8 (12¢ US) per month and rations provided labourers had been transported from Pondicherry and Karaikal . The first attempt at importing Indian labour into Mauritius , in 1829, ended in failure, but by 1834, with abolition of slavery throughout most of

11072-441: The British or Commonwealth Armed Forces. A Joint Ministerial Council of UK ministers, and the leaders of the overseas territories has been held annually since 2012 to provide representation between UK government departments and overseas territory governments. The British Antarctic Territory overlaps with territory claims by both Argentina and Chile. However, territorial claims on the continent may not currently be advanced, under

11245-452: The Caribbean (primarily the English-speaking islands of the Caribbean) before 1840. In 1838, with the abolition of slavery at its onset, the British were in the process of transporting a million Indians out of India and into the Caribbean to take the place of the recently freed Africans (freed in 1833) in indentureship. Women, looking for what they believed would be a better life in the colonies, were specifically sought after and recruited at

11418-518: The Chagos Archipelago occurred between 1968 and 1973. The Chagossians , then numbering about 2,000 people, were expelled by the British government to Mauritius and Seychelles , even from the outlying islands far away from the military base on Diego Garcia. Today, the Chagossians are still trying to return, but the British government has repeatedly denied them the right of return despite calls from numerous human rights organisations to let them. The islands are off-limits to Chagossians, tourists , and

11591-416: The Commonwealth of Nations , a non-political, voluntary association of equal members, comprising a population of around 2.2 billion people. After the independence of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe ) in Africa in 1980 and British Honduras (now Belize ) in Central America in 1981, the last major colony that remained was Hong Kong , with a population of over 5 million. With 1997 approaching,

11764-413: The EU, but they are the only British Overseas Territory to use the Euro as official currency, having previously had the Cypriot pound as their currency until 1 January 2008. On 15 May 2023, the sixteen heraldic shields of the British Overseas Territories and the three coat of arms of the Crown Dependencies were "immortalised" in two new stained-glass windows , unveiled in the Speaker's House at

11937-423: The FCDO in London. Some territories maintain diplomatic officers in nearby countries for trade and immigration purposes. Several of the territories in the Americas maintain membership within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , the Caribbean Community , the Caribbean Development Bank , Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and the Association of Caribbean States . The territories are members of

12110-436: The Falkland Islands treated as a part of the UK proper through the enactment of British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983 due to the Falklands War with Argentina; and Gibraltarians, who were given the special entitlement to be registered as British citizens upon request without further conditions because of its individual membership in the European Economic Area and the European Economic Community . Five years after

12283-430: The Foreign Office. On 3 October 2024, British prime minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian prime minister Pravind Jugnauth jointly announced that an agreement had been reached under which the UK would cede sovereignty over the territory. Under the deal, Diego Garcia will be excluded from any resettlement, and the UK will continue to administer the island for at least 99 years. Chagos Islanders would be allowed to return to

12456-630: The Guardian reported that the UK and Mauritius had begun negotiations on sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, taking into account the international legal proceedings. In December 2023, Tony Diver of the Daily Telegraph reported that the British government was planning to discontinue the talks. These negotiations ceased in late 2023 after the UK Defence Secretary blocked the agreement that had been negotiated by

12629-558: The Overseas Territories, covering six main areas: Britain and the Overseas Territories do not have diplomatic representations, although the governments of the overseas territories with indigenous populations all retain a representative office in London. The United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) also represents the interests of the territories in London. The governments in both London and territories occasionally meet to mitigate or resolve disagreements over

12802-411: The Seychelles for medical needs. Mortality before the age of 1 was around 98 per 1,000 live births. The overall death rate probably averaged under 12 per 1,000 people. Housing was simple, mostly using local wood and coconut leaves, with some imported concrete and corrugated iron. Most water was captured from rain, although there were groundwater wells. The islands at this time produced not only copra from

12975-526: The Seychelles. The expulsion was carried out by preventing Chogossians who had left from returning from 1967, assisted by the Moulinie and Company (Seychelles), Limited company which the UK had set up to run the plantations. In 1968, when more workers were needed, non-Chagossian temporary workers were allowed in from the Seychelles. The remaining population was removed from Diego Garcia in January 1971, to meet

13148-459: The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is limited to citizens of the Republic of Cyprus . Collectively, the territories encompass a population of about 250,000 people and a land area of about 480,000 sq nmi (1,600,000 km ). The vast majority of this land area constitutes the almost uninhabited British Antarctic Territory (the land area of all the territories excepting

13321-541: The UK Parliament and the territories. He said that the UK Government's new "Votes for Life" policy mean all Gibraltarians who have previously lived in the UK, for example as students, can now register to vote in its general elections - regardless of how long ago they lived there. However, Fabian Picardo highlighted that, overall, there is no formal mechanism to ensure Gibraltar's interests are represented under

13494-547: The UK Parliament, as well as backbench members of the Conservative Party and Labour Party . The Chief Minister has argued that all British citizens in overseas territories should have the right to vote in UK parliamentary elections. On 29 January 2024, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, addressed the House of Commons Committee on territorial constitution, looking at the relationship between

13667-620: The UK remains the official administrative power of these territories, and under Article 73 is therefore required "to develop self-government, to take due account of the political aspirations of the peoples, and to assist them in the progressive development of their free political institutions." Historically the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office were responsible for overseeing all British Colonies, but today

13840-438: The UK was replaced by British Dependent Territories citizenship (BDTC) in the newly minted British Nationality Act 1981 , a status that does not come with it the right of abode in the UK or any overseas territory. For these residents, registration as full British citizens then required physical residence in the UK proper. There were only two exceptions: Falkland Islanders, who were automatically granted British citizenship, and with

14013-655: The UK will continue to administer the island for at least 99 years. Of the eleven territories with a permanent population, all except the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus continue to be listed by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization as non-self-governing territories since they were listed as dependent territories by the UK when it joined the UN in 1947. This means that

14186-525: The UK, including: The territories have no official representation in the UK Parliament, but have informal representation through the all-party parliamentary group , and can petition the UK government through the Directgov e-Petitions website. Two national parties, UK Independence Party and the Liberal Democrats , have endorsed calls for direct representation of overseas territories in

14359-446: The United Kingdom , the main body of EU law did not apply and, although certain slices of EU law were applied to the overseas territories as part of the EU's Association of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT Association), they were not commonly enforceable in local courts. The OCT Association also provided overseas territories with structural funding for regeneration projects. Gibraltar

14532-501: The United Kingdom and China negotiated the Sino-British Joint Declaration , which led to the whole of Hong Kong becoming a special administrative region of China in 1997, subject to various conditions intended to guarantee the preservation of Hong Kong's capitalist economy and its way of life under British rule for at least 50 years after the handover . George Town , Cayman Islands , has consequently become

14705-444: The United Kingdom has no sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, and that Mauritius is sovereign there. The United Kingdom disputes and does not recognise the tribunal's decision. As with the ICJ decision, this decision had no legal compulsion, although both contributed to international pressure on the UK. The Universal Postal Union (UPU), which has jurisdiction over international mail among treaty signatory states, voted in 2021 to ban

14878-572: The United Kingdom may choose to provide the legal framework for particular cases where the territory cannot do so alone. The highest court for all the British overseas territories is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. The British overseas territories generally look after their own policing matters and have their own police forces . In smaller territories, the senior officer(s) may be recruited or seconded from

15051-525: The United Kingdom on 8 November 1965. While it initially sought for the base to be given on a lease, Mauritius was eventually paid £3 million to compensate for the territory's separation, under pressure due to then-ongoing independence negotiations. (An additional £650,000 was given in 1972, for relocation costs.) A few weeks after the decision to detach the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 2066 on 16 December 1965, which stated that this detachment of part of

15224-436: The United Kingdom retaining responsibility for defence , foreign relations , and internal security, and ultimate responsibility for "good" governance. Three of the territories are chiefly or only inhabited by military or scientific personnel, the rest hosting significant civilian populations. All fourteen have the British monarch as head of state . These UK government responsibilities are assigned to various departments of

15397-554: The United Kingdom were not extended to the BIOT. These include humanitarian treaties, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights , which makes the legal situation difficult. While the UK has joint jurisdiction over the military base, the British government contends that US warships around the base are responsible solely to the US, and thus do not need to meet British treaty obligations. Naval Party 1002 (NP 1002)

15570-475: The United Kingdom. The Commissioner's Representative in the territory is the officer commanding the detachment of British forces. The laws of the territory are based on the constitution, currently set out in the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004, which gives the Commissioner power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the territory. If the Commissioner has not made

15743-585: The United Nations". Mauritius became an independent Commonwealth realm in March 1968, and subsequently became a republic, also within the Commonwealth , in March 1992. In April 1967, the British government purchased the privately owned copra plantations for £600,000 and closed them. Over the next five years, the British authorities removed the entire population of about 2,000 people, known as Chagossians (or Ilois), from Diego Garcia and two other Chagos atolls, Peros Banhos and Salomon Islands , to Mauritius and

15916-522: The United States in relation to Bermuda, with which it has retained close links since Bermuda was founded as an extension of Virginia). In regard to movement within British sovereign territory, only British citizenship grants the right of abode in a specific country or territory, namely, the United Kingdom proper (which includes its three Crown Dependencies ). Individual overseas territories have legislative independence over immigration, and consequently, BOTC status, as noted above, does not automatically grant

16089-422: The United States military, in practice, crimes are more commonly charged under United States military law . Applicable treaties between the United Kingdom and the United States govern the use of the military base. The first exchange of notes, signed on 30 December 1966, constituted an agreement concerning the availability for defence purposes of the British Indian Ocean Territory. This was followed by agreements on

16262-599: The United States, but economic historians dispute its long-term impact. Sharon Salinger argues that the economic crisis that followed the war made long-term labor contracts unattractive. Her analysis of Philadelphia 's population shows that the percentage of bound citizens fell from 17% to 6.4% throughout the war. William Miller posits a more moderate theory, stating that "the Revolution...wrought disturbances upon white servitude. But these were temporary rather than lasting". David Galenson supports this theory by proposing that

16435-524: The War of the Spanish Succession. The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was the subject of a territorial dispute with Mauritius , the government of which claims that the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from the rest of British Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritius was granted independence from the United Kingdom, was unlawful. The long-running dispute was referred in 2017 to

16608-419: The advice of the UK government. To comply with the court's decision, the territorial governors now act on the advice of each territory's executive and the UK government can no longer disallow legislation passed by territorial legislatures. The role of the governor is to act as the de facto head of state , and they are usually responsible for appointing the head of government, and senior political positions in

16781-713: The archipelago in 1612. St. George's town, founded in Bermuda in that year, remains the oldest continuously inhabited British settlement in the New World (with some historians stating that – its formation predating the 1619 conversion of James Fort into Jamestown – St. George's was actually the first successful town the English established in the New World ). Bermuda and Bermudians have played important, sometimes pivotal, but generally underestimated or unacknowledged roles in

16954-512: The availability or willingness of local tribesmen. Indentured Indians from India were imported, for such projects as the Uganda Railway , as farm labor, and as miners. They and their descendants formed a significant portion of the population and economy of Kenya and Uganda, although not without engendering resentment from others. Idi Amin 's expulsion of the "Asians" from Uganda in 1972 was an expulsion of Indo-Africans. The majority of

17127-415: The citizenship shown as British Overseas Territories Citizen in order to prove their entitlement to obtain a passport with the citizenship shown as British Citizen , most now have two passports, although the local governments of the territories do not distinguish an individual's local status based on either form of citizenship, and the passport with the citizenship shown as British Citizen consequently shows

17300-428: The colonial government, and inequality between the upper and lower class in colonial society. Indentured servitude was the primary source of labor for early American colonists until the rebellion. Little changed in the immediate aftermath of Bacon's Rebellion; however, the rebellion did cause a general distrust of servant labor and fear of future rebellion. The fear of indentured servitude eventually cemented itself into

17473-576: The colonial territory of Mauritius was against customary international law as recorded earlier in the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples of 14 December 1960. This stated that "Any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and the territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of

17646-468: The colonies brought unexpected conditions of poverty, homelessness, and little to no food as the high numbers of emigrants overwhelmed the small villages and flooded the labor market. Many were forced into signing labor contracts that exposed them to the hard field labor on the plantation. Additionally, on arrival to the plantation, single women were 'assigned' a man as they were not allowed to live alone. The subtle difference between slavery and indenture-ship

17819-501: The company, a system which persisted until the 1960s. An airstrip was built on Diego Garcia during the Second World War along with other military facilities. Military forces left once the war ended. In 1962 the plantations were bought by Chagos-Agalega Company, based in the Seychelles. At this time they covered 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres). The descendants of those brought to the islands to farm coconuts had developed into

17992-518: The constituency system - just the voluntary interest of individual MPs, such as those in the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gibraltar. The Chief Minister acknowledged the difficulty of finding a system to accommodate Westminster representation and OT's self-governance - but said that the "Pandora's Box" of devolution had opened a window to how this could be addressed. Foreign affairs of the overseas territories are handled by

18165-413: The construction of a communications facility (1972), naval support facility (1976), construction contracts (1987), and a monitoring facility (1999). The United States is reportedly required to ask permission of the United Kingdom to use the base for offensive military action. As the BIOT forms a separate legal jurisdiction to the United Kingdom under British law, many international conventions signed by

18338-408: The continued operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has argued this change of approach is partly due to strategic shifts in US and UK foreign policies on Asia in response to China's growing power and influence, as disputes with former colonies encourage their deepening relationship with China. On 3 November 2022, Patrick Wintour of

18511-413: The creation of a marine protected area violated British obligations. The idea to create a formal protected area was dropped. The US-UK arrangement which established the territory for defence purposes initially was in place from 1966 to 2016, and has subsequently been renewed to continue until 2036. The announcement was accompanied by a pledge of £40 million in compensation to former residents. The base

18684-644: The default citizenship was renamed British Overseas Territories Citizenship (except still for Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, for which British Citizenship remained the default), the immigration bars against its holders were lowered, and its holders were also entitled to obtain British Citizenship by obtaining a second British Passport (something that had previously been illegal) with the citizenship so indicated. As British Overseas Territories Citizens must provide their British Passport with

18857-482: The details regarding indentured labor varied across import and export regions and most overseas contracts were made before the voyage with the understanding that prospective migrants were competent enough to make overseas contracts on their own account and that they preferred to have a contract before the voyage. Most labor contracts made were in increments of five years, with the opportunity to extend another five years. Many contracts also provided free passage home after

19030-581: The dictated labor was completed. However, there were generally no policies regulating employers once the labor hours were completed, which led to frequent ill-treatment. In 1643, the European population of Barbados was 37,200 (86% of the population). During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , at least 10,000 Scottish and Irish prisoners of war were transported as indentured laborers to the colonies. A half million Europeans went as indentured servants to

19203-533: The eighteenth century, it remains true that a certain small part of the European colonial population of America was brought by force, and a much larger portion came in response to deceit and misrepresentation on the part of the spirits [recruiting agents]." One "spirit" named William Thiene was known to have spirited away 840 people from Britain to the colonies in a single year. Historian Lerone Bennett Jr. notes that "Masters given to flogging often did not care whether their victims were black or white." Also, during

19376-454: The end of slavery in 1833 and continued until 1920. This resulted in the development of a large Indian diaspora , which spread from the Indian Ocean (i.e. Réunion and Mauritius ) to Pacific Ocean (i.e. Fiji ), as well as the growth of Indo-Caribbean and Indo-African population. The British wanted local black Africans to work in Natal as workers. But the locals refused, and as a result,

19549-540: The first BIOT flag was unfurled. This flag, which also contains the Union Jack , has depictions of the Indian Ocean, where the islands are located, in the form of white and blue wavy lines and also a palm tree rising above the British crown. During the Gulf War , 20 nuclear-armed Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers were stationed at the base as a nuclear deterrent . The base was also strategically positioned to support

19722-732: The governor based in New Zealand. Following the Lords' decision in Ex parte Quark, 2005, it is held that the King in exercising his authority over British Overseas Territories does not act on the advice of the government of the UK, but in his role as king of each territory, with the exception of fulfilling the UK's international responsibilities for its territories. The reserve powers of the Crown for each territory are no longer considered to be exercisable on

19895-656: The head of state is King Charles III . There is no Governor appointed to represent the King in the territory, as there are no permanent inhabitants (as is also the case in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the British Antarctic Territory ). The territory is one of eight dependencies in the Indian Ocean, alongside the Ashmore and Cartier Islands , Christmas Island , the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , and Heard Island and McDonald Islands , all Australian possessions;

20068-588: The hearts of Americans, leading towards the reliance on enslaved Africans. This helped to ingrain the idea of racial segregation and unite white Americans under race rather than economic or social class. Doing so prevented the potential for future rebellion and changed the way that agriculture was approached. The American and British governments passed several laws that helped foster the decline of indentures. The UK Parliament's Passenger Vessels Act 1803 regulated travel conditions aboard ships to make transportation more expensive, and to hinder landlords' tenants seeking

20241-459: The holder to be entitled to all of the same right as does the passport with the citizenship shown as British Overseas Territories Citizen , and is often required to access services in the United Kingdom, and is accepted by the immigration authorities of more foreign countries, many of which have barriers against holders of British Overseas Territories Citizen passport holders that do not apply to British Citizen passport holders (the exception being

20414-715: The holding measures of the Antarctic Treaty System . Gibraltar was captured from Spain in 1704 by a force led by Admiral Sir George Rooke representing the Grand Alliance on behalf of the Archduke Charles, pretender to the Spanish throne. Spanish attempts to regain the territory failed, and it was eventually ceded to the Britain under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht as part of the settlement of

20587-658: The immigrants were free to work for themselves or another employer. At least one economist has suggested that "indentured servitude was an economic arrangement designed to iron out imperfections in the capital market". In some cases, the indenture was made with a ship's master, who sold the indenture to an employer in the colonies. Most indentured servants worked as farm laborers or domestic servants, although some were apprenticed to craftsmen. The terms of an indenture were not always enforced by American courts, although runaways were usually sought out and returned to their employer. Between one-half and two-thirds of European immigrants to

20760-870: The inclusion of the BIOT within the area covered by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission , which was formed in 1996. In 1996 the Mauritius Marine Conservation Society unsuccessfully sought to have the archipelago declared a World Heritage Site . Mauritius explicitly extended its ratification of the Nairobi Convention to the Chagos archipelago in 2000, although this had limited practical impact. The islanders, who now mainly reside in Mauritius and Seychelles, have continually asserted their right to return to Diego Garcia, winning important legal victories in

20933-475: The islands may have inspired Maldivian folklore about giant hermit crabs. These islands were judged to be too far away from the seat of the Maldivian crown to be settled permanently by them. Thus, for many centuries the Chagos were ignored by their northern neighbours. The islands of Chagos Archipelago were charted by Vasco da Gama in the early 16th century, and then claimed in the 18th century by France as

21106-481: The islands now form part of the Outer Islands district of the Seychelles. Subsequently, the territory has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago . Work on the military base commenced in 1971, with a large airbase with several long range runways constructed, as well as a harbour suitable for large naval vessels. Although classed as a joint UK/US base, in practice it

21279-520: The labour would be extended by two years. Cases of successful prosecution for these crimes were very uncommon, as indentured servants were unlikely to have access to a magistrate, and social pressure to avoid such brutality could vary by geography and cultural norm. The situation was particularly difficult for indentured women, because in both low social class and gender, they were believed to be particularly prone to vice, making legal redress unusual. The American Revolution severely limited immigration to

21452-498: The largest city among the dependent territories, partly because of the constant and healthy flow of immigration to the city and the territory as a whole, which saw its population jump 26% from 2010 to 2021, the fastest population growth of any of the territories. Prior to 1 January 1983, the territories were officially referred to as the Crown Colonies . At that time they were renamed British Dependent Territories . In 2002,

21625-521: The late 18th century, indentured servitude was common in British America . It was often a way for Europeans to migrate to the American colonies: they signed an indenture in return for a costly passage. However, the system was also used to exploit many of them, as well as Asians (mostly from India and China) who wanted to migrate to the New World. These Asian people were used mainly to construct roads and railway systems. After their indenture expired,

21798-456: The local government for those with a qualifying connection to the territory. In Bermuda, by example, this is called Bermudian status , and can be inherited or obtained subject to conditions laid down by the local government (non-British nationals must necessarily obtain British nationality in order to obtain Bermudian status). Although the expression "belonger status" is not used in Bermuda, it

21971-478: The media. Since the 1980s, the Government of Mauritius sought to gain control over the Chagos Archipelago, which was separated from the then Crown Colony of Mauritius by the UK in 1965 to form the British Indian Ocean Territory. A February 2019 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice called for the islands to be given to Mauritius. Afterward, both the United Nations General Assembly and

22144-573: The mid-19th century to the early 20th century, labor for the sugar-cane fields of Queensland , Australia included an element of coercive recruitment and indentured servitude of the 62,000 South Sea Islanders . The workers came mainly from Melanesia – mainly from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu – with a small number from Polynesian and Micronesian areas such as Samoa , the Gilbert Islands (subsequently known as Kiribati ) and

22317-530: The middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century, the larger settler colonies – in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – first became self-governing colonies and then achieved independence in all matters except foreign policy, defence and trade. Separate self-governing colonies federated to become Canada (in 1867), Australia (in 1901), South Africa (in 1910) and Rhodesia (in 1965). These and other large self-governing colonies had by

22490-528: The neighbouring Maldives, possibly concerned about the loss of maritime security benefits that emerge from the military base. The Seychelles benefits similarly, but voted for the resolution in solidarity with the African Union. On 28 January 2021, the United Nation's International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled, in a dispute between Mauritius and Maldives on their maritime boundary, that

22663-599: The new arrivals and their reluctance to continue working at the end of their indenture. On 16 November 1844, the British Indian Government legalised emigration to Jamaica , Trinidad and Demerara ( Guyana ). The first ship, Whitby , sailed from Calcutta for British Guiana on 13 January 1838, and arrived in Berbice on 5 May 1838. Transportation to the Caribbean stopped in 1848 due to problems in

22836-409: The northern Chagos archipelago was uninhabited, they should not be included in the determination of EEZ baselines. Arbitration between the UK and Mauritius relating to the creation of the marine protected area began in 2010. This arbitration was cited by Mauritius to halt an attempt by a coalition of NGOs to have the archipelago declared a World Heritage site in 2012. In 2015 an UNCLOS tribunal ruled that

23009-399: The northern Maldives, and Hollhavai in the southern Maldives. Hollhavai also referred to other islands scattered throughout the Indian Ocean, such as the Seychelles. According to Southern Maldivian oral tradition, traders and fishermen were occasionally lost at sea and got stranded on one of the islands of the Chagos. Eventually they were rescued and brought back home. The coconut crabs of

23182-445: The numbers of British indentured servants never recovered, and that Europeans of other nationalities replaced them. Indentured servitude began its decline after Bacon's Rebellion , a servant uprising against the government of Colonial Virginia. This was due to multiple factors, such as the treatment of servants, support of native tribes in the surrounding area, a refusal to expand the amount of land an indentured servant could work by

23355-460: The other islands and a fund will be established to support resettlement. No debate on the deal had taken place in the Parliament of the United Kingdom due to it being in recess, and the deal attracted criticism from opposition politicians such as James Cleverly , who, as foreign secretary, had initiated the negotiations that took place from November 2022 until December 2023. The announcement

23528-670: The outcome of proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights ". (That court's 2012 decision was not in favour of the Islanders anyway.) The protected area covered the territory's EEZ, but not its territorial waters. In 2009 Mauritius began negotiating with the Maldives to jointly settle the borders of EEZs in the area. These were unsuccessful, and in 2010 the Maldives submitted a claim that overlapped with both British and Mauritian claims. The Maldives contended that as much of

23701-490: The overseas territories of Saint Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha and the Pitcairn Islands, an administrator is appointed to be the governor's representative. In the territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, there is an administrator in each of the two distant parts of the territory, namely Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha . The administrator of the Pitcairn Islands resides on Pitcairn, with

23874-635: The people of the British Dependent Territories (other than those of Gibraltar and the Falklands), which was understood universally as intended to raise a colour bar and had done so given that most white colonials were not affected by it and had made restoration of a single citizenship part of its election manifesto. In 2002, when the British Dependent Territories became the British Overseas Territories ,

24047-647: The period often conflict with the oral tradition passed down to the descendants of workers. Stories of blatantly violent kidnapping tend to relate to the first 10–15 years of the trade. Australia deported many of these Islanders back to their places of origin in the period 1906–1908 under the provisions of the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 . A significant number of construction projects in British East Africa and South Africa , required vast quantities of labor, exceeding

24220-526: The permanent English colonisation of North America began officially in 1607 with the settlement of Jamestown , the first successful permanent colony in Virginia (a term that was then applied generally to North America). Its offshoot, Bermuda , was settled inadvertently after the wrecking of the Virginia Company 's flagship there in 1609, with the company's charter extended to officially include

24393-609: The plantations from which they were employed. Similarly, the laws regarding slavery would prevent enslaved Africans from doing the same. While enslaved Africans - and for a period, free Africans - were not allowed to use the court system in any manner, even to act as a witness, Barbados would allow "white servants" to go to court if they felt that they had received poor treatment. Additionally, children of African descent were offered no supplementary protection, while children of English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh extraction who were sent to Barbados as indentured servants could not work without

24566-527: The plantations, but fish, and fruit in the case of the Chagos archipelago. Alcohol was produced for local consumption, from coconut, sugar cane, and other materials. It is likely there was some malnutrition. Beginning in February 1964, the UK and US began secret talks about a military base in Diego Garcia. The US wanted a territory with no local population, and the islands were lightly inhabited compared to other potential locations. The initial option of Aldabra

24739-483: The population of Mauritius are descendants of Indian indentured labourers brought in between 1834 and 1921. Initially brought to work the sugar estates following the abolition of slavery in the British Empire an estimated half a million indentured laborers were present on the island during this period. Aapravasi Ghat , in the bay at Port Louis and now a UNESCO site, was the first British colony to serve as

24912-464: The process of governance in the territories and levels of autonomy. Britain provides financial assistance to the overseas territories via the FCDO (previously the Department for International Development ). As of 2019, only Montserrat, Saint Helena, Pitcairn and Tristan da Cunha receive budgetary aid (i.e. financial contribution to recurrent funding). Several specialist funds are made available by

25085-399: The region from Virginia north to New Jersey . Other colonies saw far fewer of them. The total number of European immigrants to all 13 colonies before 1775 was about 500,000; of these 55,000 were involuntary prisoners. Of the 450,000 or so European arrivals who came voluntarily, Tomlins estimates that 48% were indentured. About 75% of these were under the age of 25. The age of adulthood for men

25258-404: The reserve would prevent any resettlement due to the inability to fish in protected areas. The Chagossian UK-based Diego Garcian Society stated that it welcomed the marine reserve, noting that it was in the interest of Chagossians to have the area protected while they were exiled and that it could be renegotiated upon resettlement. The Foreign Office claimed the reserve was made "without prejudice to

25431-445: The right of abode in any of the territories, as it depends on the territory's immigration laws. A territory may issue belonger status to allow a person to reside in the territory that they have close links with. The governor or immigration department of a territory may also grant the territorial status to a resident who does not hold it as a birthright. From 1949 to 1983, the nationality status of Citizenship of UK and Colonies (CUKC)

25604-565: The second largest being just over 3.1 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi). The terrain is flat and low, with an average elevation of 1.33 metres (4.4 ft) above sea level. In 2010, 545,000 square kilometres (210,000 square miles) of ocean around the islands was declared a marine reserve. The British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004 defines the territory as comprising the following islands or groups of islands: These islands and associated coral reefs lie between 4°44 and 7°41 south and 70°47 and 72°47 east. As indicated above,

25777-472: The sense of English subjects residing in lands hitherto outside the control of the English government, were generally known as plantations . The first, unofficial, colony was Newfoundland Colony , where English fishermen routinely set up seasonal camps in the 16th century. It is now a province of Canada known as Newfoundland and Labrador . After failed attempts, including the Roanoke Colony ,

25950-586: The shaping of the English and British transatlantic empires. These include maritime commerce, settlement of the continent and of the West Indies , and the projection of naval power via the colony's privateers , among other areas. The growth of the British Empire in the 19th century, to its territorial peak in the 1920s, saw Britain acquire nearly one quarter of the world's land mass, including territories with large indigenous populations in Asia and Africa. From

26123-541: The sugar industry and resumed in Demerara and Trinidad in 1851 and Jamaica in 1860. This system of labour was coined by contemporaries at the time as a "new system of slavery", a term later used by historian Hugh Tinker in his influential book of the same name. The Indian indenture system was finally banned in 1917. Although the system was officially suspended, those who were serving indentures at that time were required to complete their terms of service, thereby extending

26296-708: The system into the early 1920s. According to The Economist , "When the Indian Legislative Council finally ended indenture...it did so because of pressure from Indian nationalists and declining profitability, rather than from humanitarian concerns." Convicts transported to the Australian colonies before the 1840s often found themselves hired out in a form of indentured labor. Indentured servants also emigrated to New South Wales . The Van Diemen's Land Company used skilled indentured labor for periods of seven years or less. A similar scheme for

26469-481: The tending of the graves of their ancestors. On 22 October 2008, the British government won an appeal to the House of Lords regarding the royal prerogative used to continue excluding the Chagossians from their homeland. In March 2007 Mauritian president Anerood Jugnauth declared a willingness to take the dispute to the ICJ, and for Mauritius to leave the Commonwealth. In November 2007 a line of communication

26642-412: The territory to the UN. In 1971, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a treaty, leasing the island of Diego Garcia to the US military for the purposes of building a large air and naval base on the island. The deal was important to the British government, as the United States granted it a substantial discount on the purchase of Polaris nuclear missiles in return for the use of the islands as

26815-408: The territory also included Aldabra , Farquhar and Desroches between 1965 and 1976; the latter group of islands is located north of Madagascar and were annexed from and returned to the Seychelles . The climate is tropical marine ; hot, humid, and moderated by trade winds . These winds originate from the southeast from May to November, reversing for the rest of the year. The average temperature

26988-417: The territory to Mauritius when it was no longer required for defence purposes. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Seychelles also had a sovereignty claim on the islands. In 1982, the UK and US agreed waste would be shipped away from the territory. On 27 December 1984, Mauritius established an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) which included the waters around the BIOT, an action protested by the UK. In 1990,

27161-462: The territory. Each overseas territory has its own legal system independent of the United Kingdom. The legal system is generally based on English common law , with some distinctions for local circumstances. Each territory has its own attorney general and court system. For the smaller territories, the United Kingdom may appoint a UK-based lawyer or judge to work on legal cases. This is particularly important for cases involving serious crimes and where it

27334-465: The territory. The governor is also responsible for liaising with the UK government, and carrying out any ceremonial duties. A commissioner has the same powers as a governor, but also acts as the head of government. Although the British Government is the national government, much of governance within the territories has been delegated to local government, with all of those that have permanent populations having some degree of representative government (which

27507-423: The titular island), while the smallest by land area is Gibraltar, which lies on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula . The United Kingdom participates in the Antarctic Treaty System and, as part of a mutual agreement, the British Antarctic Territory is recognised by four of the six other sovereign nations making claims to Antarctic territory . The 14 British Overseas Territories are: Early colonies, in

27680-425: The unclaimed Blenheim Reef , to discover for a forthcoming International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea hearing if it is exposed at high tide so is claimable. The chartered Bleu De Nîmes was shadowed by a British fisheries protection vessel. In October 2021 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers landed on Diego Garcia, and submitted asylum claims. The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees does not apply to

27853-403: The use of BIOT postage stamps on mail from BIOT, instead requiring Mauritian stamps to be used. In February 2022, exiled islanders made their first unsupervised visit to an island in the Chagos Archipelago. The Permanent Representative of Mauritius to the United Nations, Jagdish Koonjul , raised the Mauritian flag on Peros Banhos . The main purpose of the 15-day Mauritian expedition is to survey

28026-401: The workers, so indentureships were commonly sold by such men to planters or others upon the ships' arrival. Like slaves, their prices went up or down, depending on supply and demand. When the indenture (loan) was paid off, the worker was free but not always in good health or of sound body. Sometimes they might be given a plot of land or a small sum to buy it, but the land was usually poor. Until

28199-605: Was 24 years (not 21); those over 24 generally came on contracts lasting about three years. Regarding the children who came, Gary Nash reports that "many of the servants were nephews, nieces, cousins, and children of friends of emigrating Englishmen, who paid their passage in return for their labor once in America." Several instances of kidnapping for transportation to the Americas are recorded, such as that of Peter Williamson (1730–1799). Historian Richard Hofstadter pointed out that "Although efforts were made to regulate or check their activities, and they diminished in importance in

28372-399: Was also criticised by the Speaker of the House of Commons , Sir Lindsay Hoyle , who criticised the government for ignoring the constitutional convention that important matters should be announced in the House of Commons first. Some Chagossians have also criticised the deal for not having included the Chagossian community in the decision-making process. As a territory of the United Kingdom,

28545-484: Was dropped due to international interest in its ecosystem. In 1965, the United Kingdom split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius and the islands of Aldabra , Farquhar and Desroches (Des Roches) from the Seychelles to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The purpose was to allow the construction of military facilities for the mutual benefit of the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The islands were formally established as an overseas territory of

28718-484: Was established between the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Mauritian High Commission for BIOT-related matters. The British government established the BIOT Marine Protected Area in April 2010, to mixed reactions from Chagossians. While the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office claimed that it was an environmental move as well as a necessary move to improve the coral populations off east Africa, and therefore sub-Saharan marine supplies, some Chagossians claimed that

28891-433: Was not the case for British Hong Kong ) which have been delegated responsibility for local legislation, irrevocably guaranteed the same rights and representation they would have if born in England, representation in the national Parliament of the United Kingdom has yet to be extended to any overseas territory. The structure of the territorial government appears to be closely correlated to the size and political development of

29064-457: Was operated by the Swire Pacific Offshore Group. The Pacific Marlin patrolled the marine reserve all year, and since the marine reserve was designated in April 2010, the number of apprehensions of illegal vessels within the area has increased. The ship was built in 1978 as an ocean-going tug . It is 57.7 metres (189 feet 4 inches) long, with a draught of 3.8 metres (12 feet 6 inches), and gross tonnage of 1,200 tons. It has

29237-404: Was reversed in 2004, before any had moved. The United Kingdom offered citizenship to some Chagossians starting in 2002. On 17 September 2003, the UK created the "BIOT Environmental Protection and Conservation Zone (EPCZ)" covering the BIOT's EEZ. This was opposed by Mauritius, which on 5 August 2005 reasserted their declared EEZ surrounding the territory. On 11 May 2006, the High Court ruled that

29410-411: Was seen as important for managing growing Chinese influence in the region. The formerly obscure sovereignty dispute gained more international recognition as Mauritius obtained the support of other African countries. Brexit deprived the United Kingdom of support from European allies. In May 2017, Mauritius challenged the presence of the UK at a meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. On 22 June 2017

29583-420: Was shared by residents of the UK proper and residents of overseas territories, although most residents of overseas territories lost their automatic right to live in the UK after the ratification of Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 that year unless they were born in the UK proper or had a parent or a grandparent born in the UK. In 1983, CUKC status of residents of overseas territories without the right of abode in

29756-476: Was stated by some Conservative Party backbench MPs that the secret intent of the Conservative government was to restore a single citizenship, with full rights across the United Kingdom and the British Dependent Territories, once Hong Kong and its British Dependent Territories Citizens had been returned to the People's Republic of China in 1997. By that time, the Labour Party was in government with Tony Blair as Prime Minister. Labour had decried discrimination against

29929-559: Was the only overseas territory that was part of the EU, although it was not part of the European Customs Union, the European Tax Policy, the European Statistics Zone or the Common Agriculture Policy. Gibraltar was not a member of the EU in its own right; it received representation in the European Parliament through its being part of the South West England constituency. Overseas citizens held concurrent European Union citizenship, giving them rights of free movement across all EU member states. The Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus were never part of

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