TNAG-0715-FCO40-911-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-4 — Page 118

BACKGROUND NOTE

BRITISH DEPENDENT OVERSEAS TERRITORIES

1. The remaining dependent territories are:-

2.

Belize

Bermuda

British Antartic Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Falkland Islands & Dependencies

Gibraltar

Gilbert Islands

Hong Kong

Montserrat

Pitcairn

St Helena (including Ascension & Tristan da Cunha)

Tuvalu

Turks & Caicos Islands

Of these, Tuvalu will become independent on 1 October 1978, and the Gilbert Islands are expected to follow suit some time in

1979.

3. There are no plans at the moment for any of the other territories to become independent. In the case of Hong Kong, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and Belize this is because political considerations involving their relations with neighbouring countries make it impossible for them to contemplate independence under present circumstances.

4.

Certain territories would not be viable as independent states: these include the British Antartic Territory and the British Indian Ocean Territory, neither of which have any indigenous population, and Pitcairn which has a resident population of less than 100. St Helena and its dependencies, with a total population of about 5000, is also generally considered to come in this category.

15.