Indian Ocean

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

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earth's water surface. It is bounded on the north by southern Asia (the Indian subcontinent); on the west by the Arabian Peninsula and Africa; on the east by the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20°east meridian south of Africa, and from the Pacific by the 147°east meridian. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30°north latitude in the Persian Gulf. This ocean is nearly 10,000 km (6,200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia; its area is 73,556,000 km² (28,400,000 mi²), including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 km³ (70,086,000 mi³). Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nations within the ocean are Madagascar (formerly Malagasy Republic), the world's fourth largest island; Comoros; Seychelles; Maldives; Mauritius; and Sri Lanka. Indonesia borders it. The ocean's importance as a transit route between Asia and Africa has made it a scene of conflict. Because of its size, however, no one nation had successfully dominated until the early 1800s when Britain controlled much of the surrounding land.

Related Topics:
Asia - Indian subcontinent - Arabian Peninsula - Africa - Malay Peninsula - Sunda Islands - Australia - Southern Ocean - Atlantic Ocean - Meridian - Pacific - Latitude - Persian Gulf - Red Sea - 292,131,000 km³ - Island - Madagascar - Comoros - Seychelles - Maldives - Mauritius - Sri Lanka - Indonesia - Britain

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~