Flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory

What the flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory looks like

The flag is a British blue ensign: a dark blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist corner. The fly shows white and blue wavy lines, with a palm tree rising above a crown. The proportions are 1:2.

The territory's coat of arms also bears this flag. The British Indian Ocean Territory flag emoji keeps the Union Jack and the waves, but the palm and crown become very small at emoji size.

British Indian Ocean Territory flag meaning

The wavy lines represent the waters of the Indian Ocean where the islands lie. The palm tree and the crown are symbols of the territory, and the crown also points to the British Crown. The Union Jack in the corner marks the link with the United Kingdom, as on other blue ensigns.

History of the British Indian Ocean Territory flag

The territory was created on 8 November 1965, when the Chagos Archipelago, formerly part of the colony of Mauritius, was combined with Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches, formerly part of the colony of Seychelles. Those three islands were ceded to Seychelles in 1976. The purpose was to make land available for a joint UK and US defense facility on Diego Garcia, and the Chagossians who lived on the islands were removed in the following years.

The flag was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, on the 25th anniversary of the territory's creation. It was designed for the commissioner of the territory, who is based in London, and has semi-official status as a territorial flag. In October 2025 the crown on the flag was formally updated to the Tudor Crown, replacing St Edward's Crown.

Sovereignty and the Chagos Islands

Mauritius has long claimed the archipelago. In 2019 the International Court of Justice gave an advisory opinion that the separation was not lawful, and the UN General Assembly called on the UK to end its administration. In 2024 and 2025 the UK and Mauritius agreed that sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago would pass to Mauritius while the UK keeps use of Diego Garcia under a 99-year lease. The future of this flag depends on how that process proceeds. Today the islands have no permanent civilian population, only military and contractor staff.