Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago located in the Indian Ocean. It has been the center of a political controversy since the British government banished the island's inhabitants in order to lease the territory to United States, which built a military base there.History Commons: Diego Garcia Timeline After a prolonged legal battle, a 2008 court ruling denied the natives the right to return and reclaim their island.Guardian: Chagos islanders: Q&A (October 22, 2008) Bloomberg: Chagos Natives Can't Return to Islands, U.K. Rules (Update1) (October 22, 2008)
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Discovered in early 16th century by the PortugueseHistory Commons: Diego Garcia Timeline
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The residents were relocated to the Seychelles and Mauritius in late 1960sGuardian: Chagos islanders: Q&A (October 22, 2008)
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The base is used as a refueling station in the Iraq War and Afghanistan WarGuardian: Chagos islanders: Q&A (October 22, 2008)
