May 31, 2015 - Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean

Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean

The Chagos Islands are a group of atolls that sit in the center of the Indian Ocean, about 1,116 mi (1796 km) south-southwest of India’s southern tip and about 2,935 mi (4,723 km) west-northwest of the west coast of Australia. The Chagos archipelago is home to the world’s largest coral atoll and has striking biodiversity, both in the shallow lagoons and in the deep ocean surrounding the islands. It is said to have one of the healthiest reef systems in some of the cleanest waters in the world. The Chagos Islands became part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965. There is currently a dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom regarding its rule.

The most well-known atoll, Diego Garcia, is the largest of islands and is the only one currently inhabited. It is used as a military base, and is home to military personnel and supporting contractors. It has the largest continuous dryland rim of all atolls, which nearly encircles the shallow lagoon. Diego Garcia encompasses about 66 sq. mi (179 sq. km.) of land. It can be seen as the bright, roughly oval atoll in the southwest section of this image.

Besides the important diversity of marine life, the Chagos Islands provide a nesting site for over 175,000 pairs of seabirds, which represent about seventeen species – a reason that Chagos Islands have been recognized by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of the Chagos Islands on May 20, 2015.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 5/20/2015
Resolutions: 1km (21.5 KB), 500m (89.6 KB), 250m (233.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC