Geography: Extent and Data

A relatively new concept of an "Indian Ocean World" and attempts to rewrite its history has
resulted in new proposed names, such as 'Asian Sea' and 'Afrasian Sea'. [10]
Geography[edit]
The ocean-floor of the Indian Ocean is divided by spreading ridges and crisscrossed by aseismic structures
A composite satellite image centred on the Indian Ocean
Extent and data[edit]

The borders of the Indian Ocean, as delineated by the International Hydrographic Organization in
1953 included the Southern Ocean but not the marginal seas along the northern rim, but in 2000
the IHO delimited the Southern Ocean separately, which removed waters south of 60°S from the
Indian Ocean but included the northern marginal seas. [11][12] Meridionally, the Indian Ocean is
delimited from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20° east meridian, running south from Cape Agulhas,
and from the Pacific Ocean by the meridian of 146°49'E, running south from the southernmost
point of Tasmania. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean (including marginal seas) is
approximately 30° north in the Persian Gulf.[12]
The Indian Ocean covers 70,560,000 km2 (27,240,000 sq mi), including the Red Sea and the
Persian Gulf but excluding the Southern Ocean, or 19.5% of the world's oceans; its volume is
264,000,000 km3 (63,000,000 cu mi) or 19.8% of the world's oceans' volume; it has an average
depth of 3,741 m (12,274 ft) and a maximum depth of 7,906 m (25,938 ft).[5]
All of the Indian Ocean is in the Eastern Hemisphere and the centre of the Eastern Hemisphere,
the 90th meridian east, passes through the Ninety East Ridge.
Coasts and shelves[edit]

In contrast to the Atlantic and Pacific, the Indian Ocean is enclosed by major landmasses and an
archipelago on three sides and does not stretch from pole to pole and can be likened to an
embayed ocean. It is centred on the Indian Peninsula and although this subcontinent has played
a major role in its history the Indian Ocean has foremostly been a cosmopolitan stage interlinking
diverse regions by innovations, trade, and religion since early in human history. [10]
The active margins of the Indian Ocean have an average depth (land to shelf break) of
19 ± 0.61 km (11.81 ± 0.38 mi) with a maximum depth of 175 km (109 mi). The passive
margins have an average depth of 47.6 ± 0.8 km (29.58 ± 0.50 mi).[13] The average width of
the slopes of the continental shelves are 50.4–52.4 km (31.3–32.6 mi) for active and passive
margins respectively, with a maximum depth of 205.3–255.2 km (127.6–158.6 mi).[14]
Australia, Indonesia, and India are the three countries with the longest shorelines and exclusive
economic zones. The continental shelf makes up 15% of the Indian Ocean. More than two billion
people live in countries bordering the Indian Ocean, compared to 1.7 billion for the Atlantic and
2.7 billion for the Pacific (some countries border more than one ocean). [2]
Rivers[edit]
The Indian Ocean drainage basin covers 21,100,000 km2 (8,100,000 sq mi), virtually identical to
that of the Pacific Ocean and half that of the Atlantic basin, or 30% of its ocean surface
(compared to 15% for the Pacific). The Indian Ocean drainage basin is divided into roughly 800
individual basins, half that of the Pacific, of which 50% are located in Asia, 30% in Africa, and
20% in Australasia. The rivers of the Indian Ocean are shorter in average (740 km (460 mi)) than
those of the other major oceans. The largest rivers are (order 5) the Zambezi, Ganges-
Brahmaputra, Indus, Jubba, and Murray rivers and (order 4) the Shatt al-Arab, Wadi Ad
Dawasir (a dried-out river system on the Arabian Peninsula) and Limpopo rivers.[15]
Marginal seas[edit]
Marginal seas, gulfs, bays and straits of the Indian Ocean include: [12]
Along the east coast of Africa, the Mozambique Channel separates Madagascar from mainland
Africa, while the Sea of Zanj is located north of Madagascar.
On the northern coast of the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden is connected to the Red Sea by the strait
of Bab-el-Mandeb. In the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Tadjoura is located in Djibouti and
the Guardafui Channel separates Socotra island from the Horn of Africa. The northern end of the
Red Sea terminates in the Gulf of Aqaba and Gulf of Suez. The Indian Ocean is artificially
connected to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal, which is accessible via the Red
Sea. The Arabian Sea is connected to the Persian Gulf by the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of
Hormuz. In the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Bahrain separates Qatar from the Arabic Peninsula.
Along the west coast of India, the Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambat are located in Gujarat in the
northern end while the Laccadive Sea separates the Maldives from the southern tip of India.
The Bay of Bengal is off the east coast of India. Th

Geography: Extent and Data

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Geography: Extent and Data

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A relatively new concept of an "Indian Ocean World" and attempts to rewrite its history has

A composite satellite image centred on the Indian Ocean

Extent and data[edit]

Coasts and shelves[edit]

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