Flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory

Use	Civil and state flag, state ensign
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	8 November 1990
Design	Green   Red   White   Blue   Yellow   Black   Brown   Grey

The flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is similar to the flags of other British dependencies and colonies as it has the Union Flag in the upper hoist-side corner. The palm tree and crown are symbols of the Indian Ocean Territory.

Overview

The flag contains the Union Jack in its canton (upper hoist quarter). It depicts the waters of the Indian Ocean, where the islands are located, in the form of white and blue wavy lines.^[1] The flag also depicts a palm tree rising above the British crown. It is understood that the flag, which was granted by Queen Elizabeth II on the 25th anniversary of the BIOT in 1990^[2] is that of the Commissioner and has only semi-official status.

Given that it is impossible for civilians to visit the British Indian Ocean Territory, it is not clear how widely this flag is used. However, a video was released by the Naval Support Facility on Diego Garcia. It shows a scene where the flag is being flown.^[3] The only settlements on the Islands are the Anglo-American naval and air facilities.

The flag does indeed fly at Diego Garcia, along with the American Flag. Both are lowered at the end of the duty day.

It appears that the flag is also used by the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory.^[4] The Commissioner is based at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.^[5]

Other images

The flag as used in 1990  The flag flying on Diego Garcia  Flag of the Chagos Refugees Group Chagossian Group

References

External links

Media related to Flags of British Indian Ocean Territory at Wikimedia Commons

Flags of the British Overseas Territories and the Crown dependencies
British Overseas Territories	Akrotiri and Dhekelia Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena Ascension Tristan da Cunha South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands
Crown dependencies	Guernsey Alderney Herm Sark Jersey Isle of Man

National and regional flags incorporating the Union Jack
Sovereign states	Australia Fiji New Zealand Tuvalu United Kingdom
Dependent territories	United Kingdom Anguilla Ascension Island Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Tristan da Cunha Turks and Caicos Islands New Zealand Cook Islands Niue
States, provinces and other administrative divisions	Australia New South Wales Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia Lord Howe Island Canada British Columbia Manitoba Ontario United States Hawaii
Cities	Chile Coquimbo United States Baton Rouge, Louisiana Taunton, Massachusetts
Miscellaneous	Flags based on British ensigns Mosquito Kingdom (1844–1860) List of British flags Flags inspired by the Union Jack Basque Country St. Pierre & Miquelon Newfoundland & Labrador