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Background:
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The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five
oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but
larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four
critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal
(Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz
(Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The
decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in
the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern
Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60
degrees south latitude. |
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Location:
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body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and
Australia
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Geographic coordinates:
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20 00 S, 80 00 E
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Map references:
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Political Map of the World
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Area:
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total: 68.556 million sq km
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of
Bengal, Flores Sea, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden,
Gulf of Oman, Java Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf,
Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other
tributary water bodies |
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Area - comparative:
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about 5.5 times the size of the US
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Coastline:
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66,526 km
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Climate:
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northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon
(June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June
and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and
January/February in the southern Indian Ocean |
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Terrain:
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surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular
system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique
reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean;
low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot,
rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and
southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high
pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air
results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest
winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the
Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast
Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and
Ninetyeast Ridge |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
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Natural resources:
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oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel
aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules
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Natural hazards:
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occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern
reaches
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Environment - current issues:
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endangered marine species include the dugong, seals,
turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea,
Persian Gulf, and Red Sea |
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Geography - note:
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major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz,
Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and
the Lombok Strait |
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Economy - overview:
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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 oilfields of the
Persian Gulf and Indonesia. 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. 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. |
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Ports and terminals:
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Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South
Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India)
Melbourne (Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay
(South Africa) |
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Disputes - international:
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some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
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This page was last updated on 7 August
2008
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