Forgotten World (237): Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is a British-administered island in the Indian Ocean. All the 1,500 inhabitants, regardless of ancestry or employment status, were involuntarily, and some claim, forcibly, relocated to other islands in the Chagos Archipelago, or to Mauritius or the Seychelles by 1971 to satisfy the requirements of a U.K./U.S. Exchange of Notes signed in 1966 to depopulate the island when the U.S. constructed a base upon it. To this day, this involuntary relocation decision remains the subject of litigation.
So since 1971, Diego Garcia and its territorial waters out to 3 nautical miles (6 km) have been restricted from public access without permission of the British Government and is exclusively used as a military base, primarily by the United States. The U.S. operates a large naval ship and submarine support base, military air base, communications and space tracking facilities.