The U.K. said it would create the world"s...

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband was quoted by the BBC as saying establishing the reserve would "double the global coverage of the world"s oceans under protection."

He described the creation of the marine park as a "major step forward for protecting the oceans, not just around BIOT [British Indian Ocean Territory] itself, but also throughout the world."

The Chagos archipelago hosts the world"s biggest living coral structure, the Great Chagos Bank, being home to more than 220 coral species and more than 1,000 species of reef fish.

Miliband said "this measure is a further demonstration of how the UK takes its international environmental responsibilities seriously."

Authorities of neighboring Mauritius have opposed London"s decision, claiming it has nothing to do with environmental concerns.

In 1960s, several thousands of native Chagossians were forcibly deported from the island of Diego Garcia as the U.K. secretly leased the Chagos archipelago

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