Chagos Archipelago

About Chagos Archipelago:

• It is an island group located in the central Indian Ocean and is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south of the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent.
• It is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom that was established on November 8, 1965.
• Its key islands include the Diego Garcia atoll, Danger Island, Egmont Islands, Eagle Islands, Nelsons Island, Peros Banhos atoll. (Diego Garcia island, which houses a strategic US military base). 
• Climate: It experiences a tropical marine climate with high temperatures and elevated humidity levels. The island’s climate is heavily moderated by the trade winds which blow over the islands.

Chagos Island Dispute

• The Chagos dispute centres around the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which Britain claimed along with Mauritius in 1814.
• In 1966, Britain leased Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, to the United States, which was seeking a military base in the region.
• The Chagossians, who are mostly descendants of African slaves brought to the islands in the 18th century, have since been engaged in a prolonged legal battle for the right to return to their homeland.
• Mauritius, which gained independence from Britain in 1968, has consistently maintained its claim over the Chagos Islands.
• In 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed the UK's right to govern the Chagos Islands and called on its government to withdraw from the archipelago.

Q1: What is the International Court of Justice (ICJ)?

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the UN and began work in April 1946. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands).

Source: India backs Mauritius’ efforts to reclaim Chagos Archipelago