British Indian Ocean Territory
The British Indian Ocean Territory is a British Overseas Territory that Mauritius claims; in 2025 the two countries signed a treaty on handing it over, in Eastern Africa. UN Tourism publishes no arrivals figure for it, so Globestamp places its stamp by estimate: Mythic, for fewer than 50,000 visitors a year.
- Stamp finish
- Mythicplaced by estimate
- Area
- 49 km² (19 sq mi)
- Population
- 3,000Natural Earth estimate
Does the British Indian Ocean Territory count as a country?
It depends on the list. The British Indian Ocean Territory is a British Overseas Territory that Mauritius claims; in 2025 the two countries signed a treaty on handing it over, so it is not one of the UN’s 193 members, but Globestamp’s list of 250 countries and territories counts it on its own. The Travelers’ Century Club counts it as “British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago, Diego Garcia)”.
| List | Counts the British Indian Ocean Territory? |
|---|---|
| UN member states (193) | No |
| Globestamp’s countries and territories (250) | Yes |
| Travelers’ Century Club (330) | Yes, as British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago, Diego Garcia) |
| European Union | No |
| Schengen area | No |
The British Indian Ocean Territory belongs to the United Kingdom, but travelers usually count it on its own, because it has its own entry rules, its own flag or its own place on the map. Other places in the same family: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey and Isle of Man.
The British Indian Ocean Territory stamp
Every country in Globestamp has its own stamp, drawn after a real entry stamp. Its finish shows how few travelers get there. The British Indian Ocean Territory’s is Mythic: a living finish taken from the place itself, the finish for places with fewer than 50,000 visitors a year. UN Tourism has no figure for the British Indian Ocean Territory, so its finish is placed by hand from what is known of its visitors. See every stamp on the stamp wall, or the rarest on the least-visited countries.
What counts as a visit to the British Indian Ocean Territory
The common rule among travelers is that you set foot there: an airport layover usually doesn’t count, and a port where you went ashore does. Globestamp counts the British Indian Ocean Territory when one of your photos was taken on its ground, or just off its coast; a photo taken from a plane never counts. The British Indian Ocean Territory has no airport with scheduled flights, so most visitors arrive by road, rail or sea. Read more in how to count the countries you’ve visited.
Events in the British Indian Ocean Territory
Total solar eclipses over the British Indian Ocean Territory that the app knows: 2 August 2027. A photo inside the path of totality that day ticks “Watch a total eclipse”.
Questions people ask
Is the British Indian Ocean Territory a country?
It depends on the list. The British Indian Ocean Territory is a British Overseas Territory that Mauritius claims; in 2025 the two countries signed a treaty on handing it over, so it is not one of the UN’s 193 members, but Globestamp’s list of 250 countries and territories counts it on its own. The Travelers’ Century Club counts it as “British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago, Diego Garcia)”.
How many tourists visit the British Indian Ocean Territory?
UN Tourism, the usual source, publishes no arrivals figure for the British Indian Ocean Territory. Globestamp places its stamp by estimate, as Mythic: fewer than 50,000 visitors a year.
How rare is a British Indian Ocean Territory stamp in Globestamp?
It is printed in Mythic, the finish for places with fewer than 50,000 visitors a year. The fewer travelers a place receives, the rarer its finish, from plain Ink to Mythic.
Does the British Indian Ocean Territory count for the Travelers’ Century Club?
Yes. The Travelers’ Century Club counts it as “British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago, Diego Garcia)”, one of its 330 destinations.
Places as rare as the British Indian Ocean Territory
Near the British Indian Ocean Territory
Sources
- Countries, cities and regions: Natural Earth 10m admin-0 (public domain); lists as of October 2026.
- Visitors: UN Tourism via the World Bank, ST.INT.ARVL (International tourism, number of arrivals), CC BY 4.0, data updated 2026-10-08. Each country's latest year before 2020. Countries count visitors differently; use as a rough rank.
- World Heritage Sites, parks, landmarks and the bucket-list places: Wikidata (CC0), as compiled in the app, October 2026.
- Airports: OurAirports (public domain), airports with scheduled service.
- Travelers’ Century Club: the club’s list of 330 destinations, as of January 2022.