Diego Garcia (DG) is a tropical paradise in the middle
of the
Empire. It was initially discovered by the Portuguese in the sixteenth
Indian Ocean. This British Indian Ocean Territory is the peak
of the lost continent of Limuria. The V shaped coral atoll stretches
36 miles from tip to tip but is a mere 10 square miles in size. The
average elevation is just six feet above sea level! DG is truly in the
middle of nowhere and doesn't appear on many maps of the world. It's
1000 miles east of the Seychelles and roughly 1500 miles south west
of India. It's almost a six hour flight from Singapore which is just
about the only air gateway to DG.
DG is one of the few remaining outposts of the old British
century. It has been a British territory for nearly two hundred years.
DG was home to a copra plantation for most of that time until the Brits
relocated the inhabitants in the early 1970's. This action has been
disputed in the British courts for years. The courts recently ruled
that the action was illegal. The end result is uncertain as it's unlikely
the land will be returned. Even if it was there is no industry, tourism
or trade to be had. The island is currently the home of a U.S. naval
support and telecommunications facility. It includes a long runway that
has been used as a base for bombing Iraq and Afghanistan.
PhotoMann had the opportunity to visit DG on multiple
occasions during the 1990's with his 'day job' as an engineer supporting
communications systems. Traveling to DG isn't possible unless you have
business on the island and have landing permission in advance. Transportation
to/from DG was the only thing I disliked about going there. Air travel
is far from luxurious and is unreliable as it's typically on a military
cargo plane. The cargo has priority over passengers and schedules are
mere suggestions. I never had a trip to DG where I didn't have a flight
problem either coming or going.
Each of my trips were roughly a week in length. It was
a great place to escape from the world for a week but then I wanted
to leave. Most of the American military and Filipino contract workers
on the island are there for one year unaccompanied (w/o family). Those
who are there involuntarily for a year generally dislike the place.
I knew I could leave in short order so I had a different perspective.
I generally worked quite a few hours but still had the opportunity to
explore the picturesque island.
The 'downtown' area were most of the population live is
dominated by ugly concrete block buildings. If you pretend those buildings
aren't there it's quite be beautiful. The beach which is never more
than a couple hundred meters away provides great vistas. The sunrises
and sunsets are particularly spectacular. The distant end of the island
has the ruins of the East Pont plantation. Be sure to view a selection
of the images of DG shot by PhotoMann over
the years.
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