Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 19 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Geography
Body of water between Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica
14 fieldstotal area
73.6 million sq km
comparative area
slightly less than eight times the size of the US; third-largest ocean (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean)
note
includes Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Strait of Malacca, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Oman, Mozambique Channel, and other tributary water bodies
Climate
- northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October);
- tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the north Indian Ocean and January/February in the south Indian Ocean
Terrain
- surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the south Indian Ocean;
- unique reversal of surface currents in the north 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 Ninety East Ridge;
- maximum depth is 7,258 meters in the Java Trench
Natural resources
oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules
current issues
endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea
natural hazards
NA
international agreements
NA
Note
- major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait;
- ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme south near Antarctica from May to October
Government
1 fieldEconomy
The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, | Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas.
2 fieldsOverview
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. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export.
Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, 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.
Industries
based on exploitation of natural resources, particularly fish, minerals, oil and gas, fishing, sand and gravel
Communications
2 fieldsPorts
Bombay (India), Calcutta (India), Madras (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Australia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Melbourne (Australia), Richards Bay (South Africa)
Telecommunications
submarine cables from India to United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, and from Sri Lanka to Djibouti and Indonesia
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Indian Ocean.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/indian-ocean/1994.