Commissioner of The British Indian Ocean Territory | Commissioner British Indian Ocean Territory

The Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory is the head of government in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The Commissioner is appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Commissioner does not reside in the territory, as it has had no native population since the 1970s, and the only population is the military of the United States and the United Kingdom at the joint base at Diego Garcia.

The Commissioner's role is to administer the territory on behalf of the British government. This involves the passing of any necessary legislation for the territory, usually Orders in Council or Statutory Instruments. The Commissioner is also responsible for liaising with the military of the United States in matters concerning the territory. An Administrator of the British Indian Ocean Territory acts as the Commissioner's assistant. The Commissioner also appoints a representative on the territory, who is the senior British military officer at Diego Garcia.

The current Commissioner is Colin Roberts. Since 1998, the Commissioner of the BIOT has also served as Commissioner of the British Antarctic Territory.

Unlike the other governors and commissioners of other British overseas territories, there is no separate flag for the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory. This is mainly because he is never resident in the territory, and he would be unable to fly any flag from his offices in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.

Governors, Civil Commissioners and Administrators of British dependencies

Overseas territories	Governor of Anguilla Governor of Bermuda Commissioner of the British Antarctic Territory Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory Governor of the British Virgin Islands Governor of the Cayman Islands Governor of the Falkland Islands Governor of Gibraltar Governor of Montserrat Governor of the Pitcairn Islands Governor of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (Administrator of Tristan da Cunha Administrator of Ascension Island) Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Crown dependencies	Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey Lieutenant Governor of Jersey Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man

Former	Governor of Barbados Governor of Hong Kong

Famous quotes containing the words british, indian, ocean and/or territory:

“Why is it we never get our bad medicine in small doses?”
—Edmund H. North, British screenwriter, and Lewis Gilbert. First Sea Lord (Laurence Naismith)

“We had not gone far before I was startled by seeing what I thought was an Indian encampment, covered with a red flag, on the bank, and exclaimed, “Camp!” to my comrades. I was slow to discover that it was a red maple changed by the frost.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

“Everything that ever walked or crawled on the face of the earth, swum the depths of the ocean or soared through the skies left its imprint here.”
—Robert M. Fresco, and Jack Arnold. Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar)

“A Country is not a mere territory; the particular territory is only its foundation. The Country is the idea which rises upon that foundation; it is the sentiment of love, the sense of fellowship which binds together all the sons of that territory.”
—Giuseppe Mazzini (1805–1872)