| FishBase | Complete | Literature | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Families | Species | Families | |||
| Marine | 757 | 109 | No | 773 | Randall, J.E., 1998 | |
| Freshwater | 1 | 1 | No | |||
| Total | 757 | 109 | No | |||
| Conservation | |
| Geography and Climate |
The Chagos Archipelago (=British Indian Ocean Territory) is located in Southern Asia in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia. Area comparatively about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC. Chagos Archipelago has a tropical marine climate; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds. Terrain consists of flat and low (up to four meters in elevation). The elevation extreme has lowest point in Indian Ocean 0 m and highest point in unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m. Natural resources are coconuts and fish. Land use: arable land: 0%, permanent crops: 0%, permanent pastures: 0%, forests and woodland: NA%, other: NA%. Geography—note: archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility. |
| Hydrography |