Indian Ocean

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This article is about the water body. For the Indian fusion music band, see Indian Ocean (band).

The Indian Ocean, not including the Antarctic region.

Earth's oceans (World Ocean)
Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on theEarth's surface.^[1] It is bounded on the north by the Indian subcontinent; on the west by East Africa; on the east byIndochina, the Sunda Islands, andAustralia; and on the south by theSouthern Ocean (or, depending on definition, by Antarctica). It is the only ocean to be named after a country,India.^[2][3][4]

As one component of the interconnectedglobal ocean, the Indian Ocean is delineated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20° east meridian running south fromCape Agulhas, and from the Pacific by the meridian of 146°55' east.^[5] The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30° north in thePersian Gulf. The Indian Ocean has asymmetric ocean circulation^{[citation needed]}. This ocean is nearly 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia; its area is 73,556,000 square kilometres (28,350,000 sq mi),^[6] including the Red Seaand the Persian Gulf.

The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 cubic kilometres (70,086,000 mi³).^[7] Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nationswithin the ocean are Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island; Reunion Island; Comoros; Seychelles; Maldives; Mauritius; and Sri Lanka. The archipelago of Indonesia borders the ocean on the east.

Contents  [hide] 1 Geography 1.1 Limits 1.2 Climate 1.3 Hydrology 1.4 Sub surface features 2 Economy 3 Marine Life 4 History 5 Culture and literature 6 Major ports and harbours 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit]Geography

Bathymetric map of the Indian Ocean

The African, Indian, and Antarctic crustal plates converge in the Indian Ocean at the Rodrigues Triple Point. Their junctures are marked by branches of the mid-oceanic ridge forming an inverted Y, with the stem running south from the edge of the continental shelf near Mumbai,India. The eastern, western, and southern basins thus formed are subdivided into smaller basins by ridges.

The ocean's continental shelves are narrow, averaging 200 kilometres (125 mi) in width. An exception is found off Australia's western coast, where the shelf width exceeds 1,000 kilometres (600 mi). The average depth of the ocean is 3,890 metres (12,760 ft). Its deepest point, 7258 meters deep, is in the Java Trench.^[8] North of 50° south latitude, 86% of the main basin is covered bypelagic sediments, of which more than half is globigerina ooze. The remaining 14% is layered with terrigenoussediments. Glacial outwash dominates the extreme southern latitudes.

The major choke points include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, the Lombok Strait, the Strait of Malacca and the Palk Strait. Seas include Gulf of Aden, Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal,Great Australian Bight, Laccadive Sea, Gulf of Mannar, Mozambique Channel, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and other tributary water bodies. It is artificially connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, accessible via the Red Sea.

[edit]Limits

The Indian Ocean is bounded by India'sLakshadweep Islands to the north.

Main article: Borders of the oceans#Indian Ocean

[edit]Climate

The climate north of the equator is affected by a monsoonclimate. Strong north-east winds blow from October until April; from May until October south and west winds prevail. In the Arabian Sea the violent Monsoon brings rain to the Indian subcontinent. In the southern hemisphere the winds are generally milder, but summer storms near Mauritius can be severe. When the monsoon winds change, cyclones sometimes strike the shores of the Arabian Sea and theBay of Bengal. The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world.