2016-08-01 Mon

On 27th July, the Government of the British Indian Ocean Territory issued a new coin celebrating the biodiversity of this region like the beautiful land, airborne and sea inhabitants. Situated in Indian Ocean, between Tanzania and Indonesia, the territory is made of seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 55 islands. Chagos is an archipelago situated over 250,000 square miles of the world’s cleanest seas. Chagos has the largest coral areas, over 60,000 square kilometers of shallow limestone reef, associated habitats and 300 seamounts and abyssal habitats.

The area is also known for world’s healthiest coral reefs, the cleanest sea water, sediments, and marine life tested so far in the world. This chain of islands is at the southern end of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean.

The reverse features an outline of Diego Garcia Island in the centre of the coin with some of the native wildlife like a turtle, a booby bird, angelfish and some coral reef at the bottom.

The obverse features the common portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

The mintage limit of this £2 Cupro-nickel Proof coin is 10,000 pieces.