Gregory's ServerWelcome to another #geoweirdness thread, this week we turn our eye to a part of the world that doesn't always get a lot of attention: the Indian Ocean.
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3/ If and when the transfer happens it will means the sun will now set on the British ๐ฌ๐ง Empire, with the gap between the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on Cyprus ๐จ๐พ in the Med, and Pitcairn ๐ต๐ณ in the Pacific being too wide. Here's a nice discussion over on /r/geography https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/1fv9ti6/on_friday_21st_march_2025_at_0250_utc_the_sun/ 5/ France ๐ซ๐ท has more territories in the Indian Ocean, including the ๐น๐ซ"French Southern and Antarctic Lands" (ISO code: TF). These are 5 distinct regions under French sovereignty, scattered across the southern Indian Ocean and parts of Antarctica. Though remote, they play a crucial role in scientific research and environmental conservation. The next toot will look at one of these territories in more detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Southern_and_Antarctic_Lands 7/ Next we have the Kergeulen Islandsโ closest neighbours, Heard Island and the McDonald Islands ๐ญ๐ฒ, located around 450 km away. This is an Australian external territory which is nearly 4,000 away from its mainland! As covered in our thread about Australian #geoweirdness Heard Island is home to the highest peak in Australia, Mawson Peak. 9/ In the center of the Indian Ocean, The Republic of Seychelles ๐ธ๐จ is the smallest and least populated (only 100,000 people) African country. The islands were uninhabited until the 18th century. It is one of the few countries were a creole language - Seychellois Creole, spoken by up to 91% of the population - has official language status (along with French and English) 10/ A common theme of th region is isolation and remoteness. This is perhaps best exhibited by the Andaman Islands, a Union Territory of India ๐ฎ๐ณ. This archipelago of ~200 islands is home to some of the last untouched tribes on earth, with communities such as the Sentinelese, residents of North Sentinel Island, living in isolation for thousands of years. They are declared a protected area by the Indian government to help preserve their tradition. 12/ Finally, the Indian Ocean of course includes Christmas Island ๐จ๐ฝ. This Australian ๐ฆ๐บ external territory is so weird and wonderful we dedicated an entire thread to it: https://en.osm.town/@opencage/111641355267828290 |
2/ The region came into focus recently when it was announced that the UK ๐ฌ๐ง will give the strategic Chagos Islands - aka the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) ๐ฉ๐ฌ - which includes Diego Garcia, site of a major UK/US ๐บ๐ธ military base, to Mauritius ๐ฒ๐บ
This story is still unfolding - stay tuned!
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98ynejg4l5o
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