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 the Earth's surface.1 It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula (or more generally by southern and western Asia); on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina the Sunda Islands and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean (or depending on definition by Antarctica). The ocean is named after the geographic location called India.2345

As one component of the interconnected global ocean the Indian Ocean is delineated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20 east meridian running south from Cape Agulhas and from the Pacific by the meridian of 14655' east.6 The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30 north in the Persian Gulf. The Indian Ocean has asymmetric ocean circulationcitation needed. This ocean is nearly 10000 kilometres (6200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia; its area is 73556000 square kilometres (28350000 sq mi)7 including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292131000 cubic kilometres (70086000 mi3).8 Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nations within 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 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 Bordering countries and territories 6.1 Africa 6.2 Asia 6.3 Australasia 6.4 Southern Indian Ocean 7 Major ports and harbours 8 See also 9 References 10 External links 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 1000 kilometres (600 mi). The average depth of the ocean is 3890 m (12762 ft). Its deepest point is Diamantina Deep in Diamantina Trench at 8047 m (26401 ft) deep also sometimes considered is Sunda Trench at 72587725 m (2381225344 ft) deep.9 North of 50 south latitude 86% of the main basin is covered by pelagic sediments of which more than half is globigerina ooze. The remaining 14% is layered with terrigenous sediments. 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. Limits The Indian Ocean is bounded by India's Lakshadweep Islands to the north. Main article: Borders of the oceans#Indian Ocean

Climate

The climate north of the equator is affected by a monsoon climate. 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 the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world. Hydrology

Among the few large rivers flowing into the Indian Ocean are the Zambezi Shatt al-Arab Indus Ganges Brahmaputra Jubba and Ayeyarwady River. Currents are mainly controlled by the monsoon. Two large circular currents one in the northern hemisphere flowing clockwise and one south of the equator moving anticlockwise constitute the dominant flow pattern. During the winter monsoon however currents in the north are reversed. Deep water circulation is controlled primarily by inflows from the Atlantic Ocean the Red Sea and Antarctic currents. North of 20 south latitude the minimum surface temperature is 22 C (72 F) exceeding 28 C (82 F) to the east. Southward of 40 south latitude temperatures drop quickly. Surface water salinity ranges from 32 to 37 parts per 1000 the highest occurring in the Arabian Sea and in a belt between southern Africa and south-western Australia. Pack ice and icebergs are found throughout the year south of about 65 south latitude. The average northern limit of icebergs is 45 south latitude. Sub surface features As the youngest of the major oceans 10 it has active spreading ridges that are part of the worldwide system of mid-ocean ridges :- Carlsberg Ridge Southwest Indian Ridge Southeast Indian Ridge Central Indian Ridge The Ninety East Ridge runs north-south at meridian 90E dissecting the Indian Ocean into eastern and western halves. Another submerged mountain range runs approximately north-south between the Atolls of the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago. The Kerguelen Plateau is a small submerged continent of volcanic origin in the southern Indian Ocean. The Mascarene Plateau is 2000 km long undersea plateau that lies east of Madagascar. Economy The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East Africa and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oil fields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia Iran India and Western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries particularly India South Africa Indonesia Sri Lanka and Thailand. Due to the relatively high traffic of petroleum tankers piracy off the Somali coast has been rising. This has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century. Marine Life The warmth of the Indian Ocean keeps phytoplankton production low except along the northern fringe and in a few scattered spots elsewhere; life in the ocean is thus limited. Fishing is confined to subsistence levels because its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia Japan South Korea and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean mainly for shrimp and tuna. Endangered marine species include the dugong seals turtles and whales. Oil and ship pollution threatens the Arabian Sea Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. History The economically important Silk Road (red) and spice trade routes (blue) blocked by the Ottoman Empire ca. 1453 with the fall of the Byzantine Empire spurring exploration motivated initially by the finding of a sea route around Africa and triggering the Age of Discovery. The world's earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia (beginning with Sumer) ancient Egypt and the Indian subcontinent (beginning with the Indus Valley civilization) which began along the valleys of the Tigris-Euphrates Nile and Indus rivers respectively all developed around the Indian Ocean. Civilizations soon arose in Persia (beginning with Elam) and later in Southeast Asia (beginning with Funan). During Egypt's first dynasty (c. 3000 BC) sailors were sent out onto its waters journeying to Punt thought to be part of present-day Somalia. Returning ships brought gold and myrrh. The earliest known maritime trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley (c. 2500 BC) was conducted along the Indian Ocean. Phoenicians of the late 3rd millennium BC may have entered the area but no settlements resulted. The Indian Ocean is far calmer and thus opened to trade earlier than the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. The powerful monsoons also meant ships could easily sail west early in the season then wait a few months and return eastwards. This allowed Indonesian peoples to cross the Indian Ocean to settle in Madagascar. In the 2nd or 1st century BC Eudoxus of Cyzicus was the first Greek to cross the Indian Ocean. Hippalus is said to have discovered the direct route from Arabia to India around this time. During the 1st and 2nd centuries AD intensive trade relations developed between Roman Egypt and the Tamil kingdoms of the Cheras Cholas and Pandyas in Southern India. Like the Indonesian peoples above the western sailors used the monsoon to cross the ocean. The unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describes this route and the ports and trade goods along the coasts of Africa and India around AD 70. From 1405 to 1433 Admiral Zheng He led large fleets of the Ming Dynasty on several voyages to the Western Ocean (Chinese name for the Indian Ocean) and reached the coastal country of East Africa (see Zheng He for reference). In 1497 Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and became the first European to sail to India and later the Far East. The European ships armed with heavy cannon quickly dominated trade. Portugal attempted to achieve pre-eminence by setting up forts at the important straits and ports. They dominated trade and discovery along the coasts of Africa and India until the mid 17th century. Later the Portuguese were challenged by other European powers. The Dutch East India Company (16021798) sought control of trade with the East across the Indian Ocean. France and Britain established trade companies for the area. Spain established a major trading operation in the Philippines and the Pacific. By 1815 Britain became the principal power in the Indian Ocean. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 revived European interest in the East but no nation was successful in establishing trade dominance. Since World War II the United Kingdom was forced to withdraw from the area to be replaced by India the USSR and the United States. The last two tried to establish hegemonycitation needed by negotiating for naval base sites. Developing countries bordering the ocean however seek to have it made a "zone of peace"citation needed so that they may use its shipping lanes freely though the United Kingdom and United States maintain a military base on Diego Garcia atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean. On 26 December 2004 the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean were hit by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The waves resulted in more than 226000 deaths and over 1 million people were left homeless. Culture and literature The Indian Ocean is known as Ratnakara in the ancient Sanskrit literature. Ratnakara means "the maker (creator) of gems". It's also called Hindu Mahasagara(m) in Indian languages. See Culture of the Indian Ocean Islands and Indian Ocean literature. Bordering countries and territories Heading roughly clockwise the states and territories (in italics) with a coastline on the Indian Ocean are: Africa  South Africa  Mozambique  Madagascar  French Southern and Antarctic Lands  France (Runion)  Mauritius  Mayotte  Comoros  Tanzania  Seychelles  Kenya  Somalia  Djibouti  Eritrea  Sudan  Egypt Asia  Egypt (Sinai Peninsula)  Israel  Jordan  Saudi Arabia  Yemen  Oman  United Arab Emirates  Qatar  Bahrain  Kuwait  Iraq  Iran  Pakistan  India  Maldives  British Indian Ocean Territory  Sri Lanka  Bangladesh  Burma (Myanmar)  Malaysia  Indonesia  Cocos (Keeling) Islands  Christmas Island Australasia Ashmore and Cartier Islands  Indonesia  Timor-Leste  Australia Southern Indian Ocean Heard Island and McDonald Islands  French Southern and Antarctic Lands Major ports and harbours Main article: List of ports and harbours of the Indian Ocean Mumbai is the chief Indian trading port on the coast of Indian Ocean. It is often known as "The Gateway of India". Other important Indian ports on the Indian Ocean include Kochi Kolkata Visakhapatnam and Chennai; together they control the export of Indian goods towards the east. Aden in Yemen is among the important Arabian ports on the Indian Ocean and Perth in Australia and Karachi in Pakistan are other major Indian Ocean seaports. See also Environment portal Ecology portal Geography portal Weather portal List of islands in the Indian Ocean List of island countries and territories in the Indian Ocean Piracy in Somalia Oceans: Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean Seven Seas References The Indian Ocean and the Superpowers. Routledge. 1986. ISBN 0709942419 9780709942412. http://books.google.com/id2pMOAAAAQAAJ&pgPA33&dqIndian+Ocean+20%25.  Harper Douglas. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.phpsearchindian+ocean&searchmodenone. Retrieved 18 January 2011.  Indo-American relations : foreign policy orientations and perspectives of P.V. Narasimha Rao and Bill Clinton By Anand Mathur; Page 138 "India occupies the central position in the Indian- Ocean region that is why the Ocean was named after India" Politics of the Indian Ocean region: the balances of power By Ferenc Albert Vli; Page 25 Geography Of India For Civil Ser Exam By Hussain; Page 12-251; "INDIA AND THE GEO-POLITICS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN"(16-33) Limits of Oceans and Seas. International Hydrographic Organization Special Publication No. 23 1953. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/ Donald W. Gotthold Julia J. Gotthold (1988). Indian Ocean: Bibliography. Clio Press. ISBN 1851090347. http://books.google.com/idujoRAAAAYAAJ&q292131000+cubic+kilometers&dq292131000+cubic+kilometers.  Indian Ocean Geography excerpted from: The World Factbook 1994 Central Intelligence Agency Stow D. A. V. (2006) Oceans : an illustrated reference Chicago : University of Chicago Press ISBN 0226776646 - page 127 for map of Indian Ocean and text External links Look up indian ocean in Wiktionary the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Indian Ocean NOAA In-situ Ocean Data Viewer Plot and download ocean observations The Indian Ocean in World History: Educational Website Interactive resource from the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center The Regional Tuna Tagging Project-Indian Ocean with details of the importance of Tuna in the Indian Ocean.. Detailed maps of the Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean Trade: A Classroom Simulation v d e Hydrology of India Inland Indus  Ganges  Yamuna  Chenab  Jhelum  Brahmaputra  Godavari  Narmada  Tapti  Ravi  Beas  Sutlej  Padma  Sarasvati  Sharda   Krishna  Kaveri  Vaigai  Kali River  Mahanadi  Son  Ghaghara  Betwa  Chambal  Kosi  Sapt Koshi  Ganges Basin  Ganges Delta  Indus Delta  Dal Lake  Pookode Lake  Skeleton Lake  Chilka Lake  Lake Powai  Nizam Sagar  Red Hills Lake  Malampuzha  Kerala Backwaters  Damodar  Luni  Coastal Indian Ocean  Arabian Sea  Laccadive Sea  Bay of Bengal  Gulf of Kutch  Gulf of Khambhat  Palk Strait  Gulf of Mannar Categories Lakes of India  Reservoirs and dams in India  Category:Rivers of India v d e Waters of Pakistan Lakes Ansoo  Baghsar  Banjosa  Borith  Chitta Katha  Dudipatsar  Hadero  Haleji  Hanna  Karambar  Keenjhar  Khabikki  Kundol  Lower Kachura  Lulusar  Mahodand  Manchar  Namal  Payee  Rama  Rawal  Rush  Saiful Muluk  Satpara  Sheosar  Shonter  Subri  Uchhali  Upper Kachura Rivers Indus  Astore  Bara  Basol  Braldu  Bunhar  Chenab  Dasht  Dori  Gambila  Ghaggar-Hakra  Gilgit  Gomal  Haro  Hingol  Hispar  Hunza  Jhelum  Jindi  Kabul  Kech  Korang  Kunar  Mula  Neelum  Panjkora  Panjnad  Poonch  Rakshan  Ravi  Rupal  Shaksgam  Shigar  Shingo  Shyok  Soan  Suru  Sutlej  Swan  Swat  Tawi  Zhob Coastal Indian Ocean  Arabian Sea Categories Lakes  Rivers v d eHydrology of South Asia Inland Indus  Ganges  Yamuna  Chenab  Jhelum  Bhagirathi River  Brahmaputra  Godavari  Narmada  Tapti  Ravi  Beas  Sutlej  Padma  Sarasvati  Sharda   Krishna  Kaveri  Kali River  Meghna  Gandaki River  Mahanadi  Mahaweli  Son  Ghaghara  Betwa  Chambal  Kosi  Sankosh  Ganges Basin  Ganges Delta  Indus Delta  Dal Lake  Pookode Lake  Skeleton Lake  Chilka Lake  Lake Powai  Borith Lake  Saiful Muluk  Gosaikunda  Nizam Sagar  Red Hills Lake  Malampuzha  Kerala Backwaters  Damodar  Luni Coastal Indian Ocean  Arabian Sea  Laccadive Sea  Bay of Bengal  Gulf of Kutch  Gulf of Khambhat  Palk Strait  Gulf of Mannar Categories Lakes of India / Nepal / Pakistan  Reservoirs and dams in India  Rivers of Bangladesh / Bhutan / India / Nepal / Pakistan v d eEarth's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf  Barents Sea  Beaufort Sea  Bering Strait  Chukchi Sea  East Siberian Sea  Fram Strait  Greenland Sea  Gulf of Boothia  Kara Sea  Kara Strait  Laptev Sea  Lincoln Sea  Prince Gustav Adolf Sea  Pechora Sea  Wandel Sea  White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea  Aegean Sea  Alboran Sea  Archipelago Sea  Argentine Sea  Baffin Bay  Balearic Sea  Baltic Sea  Bay of Biscay  Bay of Bothnia  Bay of Campeche  Bay of Fundy  Black Sea  Bothnian Sea  Caribbean Sea  Celtic Sea  Davis Strait  Denmark Strait  English Channel  Foxe Basin  Greenland Sea  Gulf of Bothnia  Gulf of Finland  Gulf of Guinea  Gulf of Mexico  Gulf of St. Lawrence  Gulf of Venezuela  Hudson Bay  James Bay  Ionian Sea  Irish Sea  Irminger Sea  Labrador Sea  Levantine Sea  Libyan Sea  Ligurian Sea  Marmara Sea  Mediterranean Sea  Myrtoan Sea  North Sea  Norwegian Sea  Sargasso Sea  Sea of land  Sea of Azov  Sea of Crete  Sea of the Hebrides  Thracian Sea  Tyrrhenian Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea  Arabian Sea  Bay of Bengal  Gulf of Aden  Gulf of Aqaba  Gulf of Khambhat  Gulf of Kutch  Gulf of Oman  Gulf of Suez  Laccadive Sea  Mozambique Channel  Persian Gulf  Red Sea  Strait of Malacca  Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea  Bali Sea  Banda Sea  Bering Sea  Bismarck Sea  Bohai Sea  Bohol Sea  Camotes Sea  Celebes Sea  Ceram Sea  Chilean Sea  Coral Sea  East China Sea  Flores Sea  Gulf of Alaska  Gulf of California  Gulf of Carpentaria  Gulf of Thailand  Gulf of Tonkin  Halmahera Sea  Java Sea  Koro Sea  Makassar Strait  Molucca Sea  Moro Gulf  Philippine Sea  Savu Sea  Sea of Japan  Sea of Okhotsk  Seto Inland Sea  Sibuyan Sea  Solomon Sea  South China Sea  Sulu Sea  Tasman Sea  Visayan Sea  Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea  Bellingshausen Sea  Cooperation Sea  Cosmonauts Sea  Davis Sea  D'Urville Sea  King Haakon VII Sea  Lazarev Sea  Riiser-Larsen Sea  Mawson Sea  Ross Sea  Scotia Sea  Somov Sea  Weddell Sea Landlocked seas Aral Sea  Caspian Sea  Dead Sea  Great Lakes  Lake Balkhash  Lake Baikal  Salton Sea v d eRegions of the world Africa Northern  Sub-Saharan (Central  Southern  Western  Eastern) Oceania Australasia (Australia)  Melanesia  Micronesia  Polynesia America North (Northern  Middle  Central  Caribbean)  South (Southern  Northern  Western)  Anglo  Latin Polar Arctic  Antarctic Asia Central  Eastern (Northeastern)  Northern  Southeastern  Southern (Indian subcontinent)  Western (Middle East) Oceans World  Arctic  Atlantic  Indian  Pacific  Southern Europe Central  Eastern  Northern  Southeastern  Southern  Western Seas List of seas Related Continents of the world  List of seas  Physical Earth Coordinates: 20S 80E / 20S 80E / -20; 80