The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. 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 of India.

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 146°55' east. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30° north in the Persian Gulf. The Indian Ocean has asymmetric ocean circulation. 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), including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 cubic kilometres (70,086,000 mi³). 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.

Geography

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 . Its deepest point is Diamantina Deep in Diamantina Trench, at deep, also sometimes considered is Sunda Trench, at deep. 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

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 Irrawaddy 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 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 90°E, 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.

Plastic pollution threatens the eastern coast of Mozambique Channel

History

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 was 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 Asia until the mid 17th century. Later the Portuguese were challenged by other European powers. The Dutch East India Company (1602–1798) 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 hegemony by negotiating for naval base sites. Developing countries bordering the ocean, however, seek to have it made a "zone of peace" so that they may use its shipping lanes freely. 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 226,000 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

{| | (Sinai Peninsula) |valign=top| '''' '''' |valign=top| |}

Asia

{| | '''' |valign=top| |valign=top| |}

Oceania

{| | ''Ashmore and Cartier Islands'' '''' |valign=top| '''' '''' ''Heard Island and McDonald Islands'' |}

Major ports and harbours

Mumbai is the chief Indian trading port on the coast of Indian Ocean. It is often known as "The Gateway of India". It is the busiest harbour in Indian Ocean. It is excellent natural harbour .A new port has been developed near Mumbai known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) or more popularly known as Nhava-Sheva to reduce burden on Mumbai. It is amongst world's top 10 fastest growing ports. Marmagoa and New Manglore handle most of the Iron Ore export from India especially to Japan. Kochi is another major Indian port on Arabian Sea. It is a deep natural harbour and is known as "The Queen of the Arabian Sea". Aden is a major port in Yemen and controls ships entering Red Sea. Major African ports on shores on Indian Ocean Dar-e-Salem, Zanzibar (Tanzania), Durban, East Londen, Cape Town(South Africa) and Port Louis (Mauritius). Zanzibar is especially famous for its spice export. Other major ports in Indian Ocean are Kolkata, Vishakhpatnam, Paradweep, Chennai, Ennore, Tuticorin, Nagapattinam (India), Colombo, Galle, Hambontota (Sri Lanka), Muscat (Oman), Yangoon (Myanmar), Singapore (Singapore), Jakarta, Medan (Indonesia) and Perth (Australia)

See also

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

External links

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

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name	Sarah Outen
nationality	British
sport	Rowing, Cycling, Kayaking
collegeteam	Stamford High School, St Hugh's College, Oxford
birth date	May 26, 1985
birth place	England, United Kingdom
medaltemplates	}}

Sarah Dilys Outen MBE FRGS (born 26 May 1985) is an English adventurer. She is the first and only woman and the youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean.

Education

Outen attended Stamford High School before reading Biology at St Hugh's College, Oxford where she started rowing in 2004.

Rowing solo across the Indian Ocean

After an eleven day failed attempt which she dubbed her 'Warm Up Lap', Outen set out again from Fremantle, Western Australia, on 1 April 2009 in her 19ft boat called ''Serendipity''. She rowed for 124 days, 14 hours and 9 minutes before arriving at Bois des Amourettes, on the island of Mauritius, on 3 August 2009. She was the first woman to attempt the crossing single-handedly, and only the fourth person to ever complete a solo crossing.

Her journey raised more than £30,000 for two charities, Arthritis Care and Arthritis Research Campaign. She dedicated the crossing to the memory of her late father who passed away in 2006. She was elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society shortly afterwards and awarded three Guinness World Records for her crossing. She currently holds a total of three Guinness World Records

Current projects

She is a popular motivational speaker both in the UK and internationally.

On 1 April 2011, Outen set off on her latest expedition - 'London to London: Via the World'. This Sarah-powered loop of the planet will involve the first ever attempt by a woman to row across the North Pacific Ocean. She will row, cycle and kayak her way from London back to London, sharing stories about the adventure and experience. The 20,000 mile journey will take 2.5 years to complete. During her expedition, she will be cycling across Europe, Asia, America, Canada and rowing the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.

Honours

She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society following her successful Indian Ocean crossing in 2009. Outen was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to rowing, conservation and charity.

Publishing

Sarah has recently published her first book ''A Dip In The Ocean: Rowing Solo Across The Indian Ocean'' was published by Summersdale on 7 February 2011. Since March 2011, She has now sold over 4000 copies worldwide.

References

External links

Sarah Outen's expedition website

BBC Radio Leicester">Sarah Outen photo gallery from BBC Radio Leicester

Sarah Outen feature in WideWorld magazine

Category:British rowers Category:Ocean rowers Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Rutland Category:Alumni of St Hugh's College, Oxford Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:People educated at Stamford High School, Lincolnshire