Diego Garcia

The Chagos Archipelago: From Paradise Lost to Strategic Stepping Stone

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The Chagos Archipelago: A History of Displacement and Controversy

The turquoise waters shimmer, lapping against pristine white sands. Palm trees sway gently in the warm breeze. This idyllic vision of paradise is the Chagos Archipelago, a scattering of 58 islands in the Indian Ocean. For centuries, this remote Eden was home to a unique and vibrant community, the Chagossians. Their story, however, is not … Read more

The SMS Emden and the Isolation of Diego Garcia in 1914

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SMS Emden's 1914 Visit to Diego Garcia: War's Remote Enigma

The vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, a canvas of shimmering blue, held a secret in October 1914. Far from the muddy trenches and roaring cannons of Europe, a peculiar isolation was unfolding. The German light cruiser SMS Emden, a phantom of the seas, found itself anchored in the pristine lagoon of Diego Garcia. This … Read more