Indian Ocean
hideThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, after which it is named); on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean (or, traditionally, by Antarctica). One component of the all-encompassing World 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 147° east meridian. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30° north in the Persian Gulf. The Indian Ocean has asymmetric ocean circulation[citation needed]. 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 (28,400,000 mi²), including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 cubic kilometers (70,086,000 mi³). Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nations within the ocean are Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island; Comoros; Seychelles; Maldives; Mauritius; and Sri Lanka. The archipelago of Indonesia borders the ocean on the east. 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 nation successfully dominated most of it until the early 1800s when the United Kingdom controlled much of the surrounding land.
For more information about Indian Ocean, read the full article at
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News tagged with indian ocean
Cyclone Anja hits wind shear, weakens drastically
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 17, 2009 |
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This morning, Cyclone Anja was a powerful Category 4 cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Wind shear has now giving Anja a strong "punch in the gut" as the storm has weakened to a Category 1 cyclone.
Colossal quake may hit Sumatra in 30 years: geologist
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 15, 2009 |
2.7 / 5 (3) |
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A colossal earthquake may hit Indonesia's Sumatra island within 30 years, triggering a tsunami and making last month's deadly temblor look tiny by comparison, a geologist has warned.
New Sumatra quake takes seismologists by surprise
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 01, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (6) |
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The huge earthquake that hit Sumatra occurred at a deep, unexpected location, illustrating the dangerously complex geological mosaic in this area, a seismologist told AFP on Thursday.
Asia-Pacific quakes herald a disaster? Experts say no
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 23, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Powerful earthquakes that have jolted Asia recently do not presage a disaster, although it is only a matter of time before the next catastrophe befalls the quake-prone region, seismologists say.
Venomous sea snakes play heads or tails with their predators
Aug 06, 2009 |
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In a deadly game of heads or tails venomous sea snakes in the Pacific and Indian Oceans deceive their predators into believing they have two heads, claims research published today in Marine Ecology.
Massive glacier in sub-Antarctic island shrinks by a fifth
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 22, 2009 |
3.6 / 5 (8) |
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One of the biggest glaciers in the southern hemisphere shrivelled by a fifth in 40 years, French scientists said on Wednesday.
Coralline algae in the Mediterranean lost their tropical element between 5 and 7 million years ago
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 07, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
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An international team of researchers has studied the coralline algae fossils that lived on the last coral reefs of the Mediterranean Sea between 7.24 and 5.3 million years ago. Mediterranean algae and coral ...
Warmer ocean brings fewer sardines to S.Africa
Jun 22, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (7) |
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Millions of sardines have begun their annual migration down South Africa's east coast, but fewer fish are making the journey due to rising ocean temperatures, a researcher said Monday.
The secret life of penguins revealed
May 13, 2009 |
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Famous for its cuteness and comic gait on land, the penguin also has an enigmatic life at sea, sometimes spending months foraging in the ocean before returning to its breeding grounds.
Experiment Stirs Up Hope for Forecasting Deadliest Cyclones
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 13, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA satellite data and a new modeling approach could improve weather forecasting and save more lives when future cyclones develop.
Study says 'middle class' coral reef fish feel the economic squeeze
Feb 10, 2009 |
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The economy isn't just squeezing the middle class on land, it's also affecting fish.
