The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 2022 to 2025 Oceans
Bathymetry Indian Ocean, in 4 editions.
The entry for Indian Ocean published Bathymetry in 4 editions of 36, from 2022 to 2025. The text changed in 2 editions. Each is shown as published. Bathymetry in every entry.
- editions changed the text
- 2
- the first edition with it
- 2022
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Bathymetry” (2022 to 2025).
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2025 edition
Rewritten since 2024The same text in 2022 and 2023.
- continental shelf:
The continental shelf (see Figure 1), a rather flat area of the sea floor adjacent to the coast that gradually slopes down from the shore to water depths of about 200 m (660 ft). Dimensions can vary: they may be narrow or nearly nonexistent in some places or extend for hundreds of miles in others. The waters along the continental shelf are usually productive in both plant and animal life, both from sunlight and nutrients from ocean upwelling and terrestrial runoff. The following are examples of features found on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Exmouth Plateau
Indus Canyon
The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)
Sunda Shelf
- continental slope:
The continental slope (see Figure 1) is where the ocean bottom drops off more rapidly until it meets the deep-sea floor (abyssal plain) at about 3,200 m (10,500 ft) water depth. The deep waters of the continental slope are characterized by cold temperatures, low light conditions, and very high pressures. Sunlight does not penetrate to these depths, having been absorbed or reflected in the water above. The continental slope can be indented by submarine canyons, often associated with the outflow of major rivers.
Another feature of the continental slope are alluvial fans or cones of sediments carried downstream to the ocean by major rivers and deposited down the slope. The following are examples of features found on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Bengal Fan
Indus Fan
- abyssal plains:
The abyssal plains (see Figure 1), at depths of over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and covering 70% of the ocean floor, are the largest habitat on earth. Sunlight does not penetrate to the sea floor, making these deep, dark ecosystems less productive than those along the continental shelf. Despite their name, these “plains” are not uniformly flat; they are interrupted by features like hills, valleys, and seamounts. The following are examples of features found on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Arabian Basin
Crozet Basin
Madagascar Basin
Mid-Indian Basin
Mozambique Basin
Wharton Basin
- mid-ocean ridge:
The mid-ocean ridge (see Figure 1), rising up from the abyssal plain, is an underwater mountain range, over 64,000 km (40,000 mi) long, rising to an average depth of 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Mid-ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries where two tectonic plates are moving apart and new crust is created by magma pushing up from the mantle. Tracing their way around the global ocean, this system of underwater volcanoes forms the longest mountain range on Earth.
Fracture Zones are linear transform faults that develop perpendicular to the line of the mid-ocean ridge which can offset the ridge line and divide it into segments. The following are examples of mid-ocean ridges found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Central Indian Ridge
Davie Ridge
Southeast Indian Ridge
Southwest Indian Ridge
- seamounts:
Seamounts (see Figure 1) are submarine mountains at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high formed from individual volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are distinct from the plate-boundary volcanic system of the mid-ocean ridges, because seamounts tend to be circular or conical. A circular collapse caldera is often centered at the summit, evidence of a magma chamber within the volcano. Flat topped seamounts are known as guyots . Long chains of seamounts are often fed by "hot spots" in the deep mantle.
These hot spots are associated with stationary plumes of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth's mantle. These hot spot plumes melt through the overlying tectonic plate as it moves and supplies magma to the active volcanic island at the end of the chain of volcanic islands and seamounts . The following are examples of seamounts found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Andaman-Nicobar Ridge
Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Kerguelen Plateau
Madagascar Plateau
Mascarene Plateau
Mozambique Plateau
Ninetyeast Ridge
- ocean trenches:
Ocean trenches (see Figure 1) are the deepest parts of the ocean floor and are created by the process of subduction. Trenches form along convergent boundaries where tectonic plates are moving toward each other, and one plate sinks (is subducted) under another. The location where the sinking of a plate occurs is called a subduction zone. Subduction can occur when oceanic crust collides with and sinks under (subducts) continental crust resulting in volcanic, seismic, and mountain-building processes.
Subduction can also occur in the convergence of two oceanic plates where one will sink under the other and in the process create a deep ocean trench. Subduction processes in oceanic-oceanic plate convergence also result in the formation of volcanoes. Over millions of years, the erupted lava and volcanic debris pile up on the ocean floor until a submarine volcano rises above sea level to form a volcanic island. Such volcanoes are typically strung out in chains called island arcs.
As the name implies, volcanic island arcs, which closely parallel the trenches, are generally curved. The following are examples of ocean trenches found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Java/Sunda Trench; note - deepest point in the Indian Ocean
- atolls:
Atolls (see Figure 1) are the remains of dormant volcanic islands. In warm tropical oceans, coral colonies establish themselves on the margins of the island. Then, over time, the high elevation of the island collapses and erodes away to sea level leaving behind an outline of the island in the form of the fringing coral reef. The resulting low island is typified by the coral reef surrounding a low elevation of sand and coral above sea level with an interior shallow lagoon.
Often times the remaining dry land is broken into a ring of islets. Some lagoons can be hundreds of square kilometers. It may take as long as 300,000 years for an atoll formation to occur. Guyots are submerged atoll structures, which explains why they are flat topped seamounts. The following are examples of atolls found in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Bassas da India
Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia
Europa Island
Juan de Nova Island
Lakshadweep Islands
Maldive Islands
Seychelles
continental shelf: The continental shelf (see Figure 1), a rather flat area of the sea floor adjacent to the coast that gradually slopes down from the shore to water depths of about 200 m (660 ft). Dimensions can vary: they may be narrow or nearly nonexistent in some places or extend for hundreds of miles in others. The waters along the continental shelf are usually productive in both plant and animal life, both from sunlight and nutrients from ocean upwelling and terrestrial runoff. The following are examples of features found on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Exmouth Plateau
Indus Canyon
The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)
Sunda Shelf
continental slope: The continental slope (see Figure 1) is where the ocean bottom drops off more rapidly until it meets the deep-sea floor (abyssal plain) at about 3,200 m (10,500 ft) water depth. The deep waters of the continental slope are characterized by cold temperatures, low light conditions, and very high pressures. Sunlight does not penetrate to these depths, having been absorbed or reflected in the water above. The continental slope can be indented by submarine canyons, often associated with the outflow of major rivers. Another feature of the continental slope are alluvial fans or cones of sediments carried downstream to the ocean by major rivers and deposited down the slope. The following are examples of features found on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Bengal Fan
Indus Fan
abyssal plains: The abyssal plains (see Figure 1), at depths of over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and covering 70% of the ocean floor, are the largest habitat on earth. Sunlight does not penetrate to the sea floor, making these deep, dark ecosystems less productive than those along the continental shelf. Despite their name, these “plains” are not uniformly flat; they are interrupted by features like hills, valleys, and seamounts. The following are examples of features found on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Arabian Basin
Crozet Basin
Madagascar Basin
Mid-Indian Basin
Mozambique Basin
Wharton Basin
mid-ocean ridge: The mid-ocean ridge (see Figure 1), rising up from the abyssal plain, is an underwater mountain range, over 64,000 km (40,000 mi) long, rising to an average depth of 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Mid-ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries where two tectonic plates are moving apart and new crust is created by magma pushing up from the mantle. Tracing their way around the global ocean, this system of underwater volcanoes forms the longest mountain range on Earth. Fracture Zones are linear transform faults that develop perpendicular to the line of the mid-ocean ridge which can offset the ridge line and divide it into segments. The following are examples of mid-ocean ridges found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Central Indian Ridge
Davie Ridge
Southeast Indian Ridge
Southwest Indian Ridge
seamounts: Seamounts (see Figure 1) are submarine mountains at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high formed from individual volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are distinct from the plate-boundary volcanic system of the mid-ocean ridges, because seamounts tend to be circular or conical. A circular collapse caldera is often centered at the summit, evidence of a magma chamber within the volcano. Flat topped seamounts are known as guyots . Long chains of seamounts are often fed by "hot spots" in the deep mantle. These hot spots are associated with stationary plumes of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth's mantle. These hot spot plumes melt through the overlying tectonic plate as it moves and supplies magma to the active volcanic island at the end of the chain of volcanic islands and seamounts . The following are examples of seamounts found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Andaman-Nicobar Ridge
Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Kerguelen Plateau
Madagascar Plateau
Mascarene Plateau
Mozambique Plateau
Ninetyeast Ridge
ocean trenches: Ocean trenches (see Figure 1) are the deepest parts of the ocean floor and are created by the process of subduction. Trenches form along convergent boundaries where tectonic plates are moving toward each other, and one plate sinks (is subducted) under another. The location where the sinking of a plate occurs is called a subduction zone. Subduction can occur when oceanic crust collides with and sinks under (subducts) continental crust resulting in volcanic, seismic, and mountain-building processes. Subduction can also occur in the convergence of two oceanic plates where one will sink under the other and in the process create a deep ocean trench. Subduction processes in oceanic-oceanic plate convergence also result in the formation of volcanoes. Over millions of years, the erupted lava and volcanic debris pile up on the ocean floor until a submarine volcano rises above sea level to form a volcanic island. Such volcanoes are typically strung out in chains called island arcs. As the name implies, volcanic island arcs, which closely parallel the trenches, are generally curved. The following are examples of ocean trenches found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Java/Sunda Trench; note - deepest point in the Indian Ocean
atolls: Atolls (see Figure 1) are the remains of dormant volcanic islands. In warm tropical oceans, coral colonies establish themselves on the margins of the island. Then, over time, the high elevation of the island collapses and erodes away to sea level leaving behind an outline of the island in the form of the fringing coral reef. The resulting low island is typified by the coral reef surrounding a low elevation of sand and coral above sea level with an interior shallow lagoon. Often times the remaining dry land is broken into a ring of islets. Some lagoons can be hundreds of square kilometers. It may take as long as 300,000 years for an atoll formation to occur. Guyots are submerged atoll structures, which explains why they are flat topped seamounts. The following are examples of atolls found in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2).
Bassas da India
Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia
Europa Island
Juan de Nova Island
Lakshadweep Islands
Maldive Islands
Seychelles
- continental shelf:
The continental shelf (see Figure 1) is a rather flat area of the sea floor adjacent to the coast that gradually slopes from the shore to water depths of about 200 m (660 ft). Dimensions can vary: the shelves may be narrow or nearly nonexistent in some places or extend for hundreds of miles in others. The waters along the continental shelf are usually productive in both plant and animal life, from sunlight and nutrients from ocean upwelling and terrestrial runoff. The following are examples of features found on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Exmouth Plateau
Indus Canyon
The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)
Sunda Shelf
- continental slope:
The continental slope (see Figure 1) is where the ocean bottom drops off more rapidly until it meets the deep-sea floor (abyssal plain) at about 3,200 m (10,500 ft) water depth. The deep waters of the continental slope are characterized by cold temperatures, low light conditions, and very high pressures. Sunlight does not penetrate to these depths, having been absorbed or reflected in the water above. The continental slope can be indented by submarine canyons, often associated with the outflow of major rivers.
Another feature of the continental slope is alluvial fans, or cones of sediments, that major rivers carry downstream to the ocean and deposit down the slope. The following are examples of features found on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bengal Fan
Indus Fan
- abyssal plains:
The abyssal plains (see Figure 1), at depths of over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and covering 70% of the ocean floor, are the largest habitat on earth. Sunlight does not penetrate to the sea floor, making these deep, dark ecosystems less productive than those along the continental shelf. Despite their name, these “plains” are not uniformly flat; they are interrupted by features like hills, valleys, and seamounts. The following are examples of features found on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Arabian Basin
Crozet Basin
Madagascar Basin
Mid-Indian Basin
Mozambique Basin
Wharton Basin
- mid-ocean ridge:
The mid-ocean ridge (see Figure 1), rising up from the abyssal plain, is an underwater mountain range over 64,000 km (40,000 mi) long, reaching an average depth of 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Mid-ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries where two tectonic plates are moving apart and magma pushing up from the mantle creates new crust. Tracing their way around the global ocean, this system of underwater volcanoes forms the longest mountain range on Earth.
Fracture zones are linear transform faults that develop perpendicular to the line of the mid-ocean ridge, which can offset the ridge line and divide it into segments. The following are examples of mid-ocean ridges found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Central Indian Ridge
Davie Ridge
Southeast Indian Ridge
Southwest Indian Ridge
- undersea terrain features:
The Abyssal Plain is commonly interrupted by a variety of undersea terrain features including seamounts , guyots , ridges , and plateaus .
Seamounts (see Figure 1) are submarine mountains at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high formed from individual volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are distinct from the plate-boundary volcanic system of the mid-ocean ridges, because seamounts tend to be circular or conical. A circular collapse caldera is often centered at the summit, evidence of a magma chamber within the volcano. "Hot spots" in the deep mantle often feed long chains of seamounts.
These hot spots are associated with stationary plumes of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth's mantle. The hot-spot plumes melt through the overlying tectonic plate as it moves and supplies magma to the active volcanic island at the end of the chain of volcanic islands and seamounts.
Flat-topped seamounts are known as guyots .
An undersea ridge is an elongated elevation of varying complexity and size, generally having steep sides.
An undersea plateau is a large, relatively flat elevation that is higher than the surrounding relief with one or more relatively steep sides. Although submerged, these features can reach close to sea level.
The following are examples of undersea terrain features found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Andaman-Nicobar Ridge
Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Kerguelen Plateau
Madagascar Plateau
Mascarene Plateau
Mozambique Plateau
Ninetyeast Ridge
- ocean trenches:
Ocean trenches (see Figure 1) are the deepest parts of the ocean floor and are created by the process of subduction. Trenches form along convergent boundaries where tectonic plates are moving toward each other, and one plate sinks (is subducted) under another. The location where the sinking of a plate occurs is called a subduction zone. Subduction can occur when oceanic crust collides with and sinks under (subducts) continental crust, resulting in volcanic, seismic, and mountain-building processes. Subduction can also occur in the convergence of two oceanic plates, where one will sink under the other and in the process create a deep ocean trench.
Subduction processes in oceanic-to-oceanic plate convergence also result in the formation of volcanoes. Over millions of years, the erupted lava and volcanic debris pile up on the ocean floor until a submarine volcano rises above sea level to form a volcanic island . Such volcanoes are typically strung out in curved chains called island arcs.
The following are examples of ocean trenches found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Java/Sunda Trench; note - deepest point in the Indian Ocean
- atolls:
Atolls (see Figure 1) are the remains of dormant volcanic islands. In warm tropical oceans, coral colonies establish themselves on the margins of the island. Then, over time, the high elevation of the island collapses and erodes away to sea level leaving behind an outline of the island in the form of the fringing coral reef. The resulting low island is typified by the coral reef that surrounds a low elevation of sand and coral above sea level, with an interior shallow lagoon. Often the remaining dry land is broken into a ring of islets, and some lagoons can be hundreds of square kilometers.
Guyots are submerged atoll structures, which explains why they are flat-topped seamounts.
The following are examples of atolls found in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bassas da India
Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia
Europa Island
Juan de Nova Island
Lakshadweep Islands
Maldive Islands
Seychelles
Rewritten: too little of the 2023 text remains to mark the changes.
continental shelf: The continental shelf (see Figure 1) is a rather flat area of the sea floor adjacent to the coast that gradually slopes from the shore to water depths of about 200 m (660 ft). Dimensions can vary: the shelves may be narrow or nearly nonexistent in some places or extend for hundreds of miles in others. The waters along the continental shelf are usually productive in both plant and animal life, from sunlight and nutrients from ocean upwelling and terrestrial runoff. The following are examples of features found on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Exmouth Plateau
Indus Canyon
The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)
Sunda Shelf
continental slope: The continental slope (see Figure 1) is where the ocean bottom drops off more rapidly until it meets the deep-sea floor (abyssal plain) at about 3,200 m (10,500 ft) water depth. The deep waters of the continental slope are characterized by cold temperatures, low light conditions, and very high pressures. Sunlight does not penetrate to these depths, having been absorbed or reflected in the water above. The continental slope can be indented by submarine canyons, often associated with the outflow of major rivers. Another feature of the continental slope is alluvial fans, or cones of sediments, that major rivers carry downstream to the ocean and deposit down the slope. The following are examples of features found on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bengal Fan
Indus Fan
abyssal plains: The abyssal plains (see Figure 1), at depths of over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and covering 70% of the ocean floor, are the largest habitat on earth. Sunlight does not penetrate to the sea floor, making these deep, dark ecosystems less productive than those along the continental shelf. Despite their name, these “plains” are not uniformly flat; they are interrupted by features like hills, valleys, and seamounts. The following are examples of features found on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Arabian Basin
Crozet Basin
Madagascar Basin
Mid-Indian Basin
Mozambique Basin
Wharton Basin
mid-ocean ridge: The mid-ocean ridge (see Figure 1), rising up from the abyssal plain, is an underwater mountain range over 64,000 km (40,000 mi) long, reaching an average depth of 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Mid-ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries where two tectonic plates are moving apart and magma pushing up from the mantle creates new crust. Tracing their way around the global ocean, this system of underwater volcanoes forms the longest mountain range on Earth. Fracture zones are linear transform faults that develop perpendicular to the line of the mid-ocean ridge, which can offset the ridge line and divide it into segments. The following are examples of mid-ocean ridges found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Central Indian Ridge
Davie Ridge
Southeast Indian Ridge
Southwest Indian Ridge
undersea terrain features: The Abyssal Plain is commonly interrupted by a variety of undersea terrain features including seamounts , guyots , ridges , and plateaus .
Seamounts (see Figure 1) are submarine mountains at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high formed from individual volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are distinct from the plate-boundary volcanic system of the mid-ocean ridges, because seamounts tend to be circular or conical. A circular collapse caldera is often centered at the summit, evidence of a magma chamber within the volcano. "Hot spots" in the deep mantle often feed long chains of seamounts. These hot spots are associated with stationary plumes of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth's mantle. The hot-spot plumes melt through the overlying tectonic plate as it moves and supplies magma to the active volcanic island at the end of the chain of volcanic islands and seamounts.
Flat-topped seamounts are known as guyots .
An undersea ridge is an elongated elevation of varying complexity and size, generally having steep sides.
An undersea plateau is a large, relatively flat elevation that is higher than the surrounding relief with one or more relatively steep sides. Although submerged, these features can reach close to sea level.
The following are examples of undersea terrain features found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Andaman-Nicobar Ridge
Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Kerguelen Plateau
Madagascar Plateau
Mascarene Plateau
Mozambique Plateau
Ninetyeast Ridge
ocean trenches: Ocean trenches (see Figure 1) are the deepest parts of the ocean floor and are created by the process of subduction. Trenches form along convergent boundaries where tectonic plates are moving toward each other, and one plate sinks (is subducted) under another. The location where the sinking of a plate occurs is called a subduction zone. Subduction can occur when oceanic crust collides with and sinks under (subducts) continental crust, resulting in volcanic, seismic, and mountain-building processes. Subduction can also occur in the convergence of two oceanic plates, where one will sink under the other and in the process create a deep ocean trench.
Subduction processes in oceanic-to-oceanic plate convergence also result in the formation of volcanoes. Over millions of years, the erupted lava and volcanic debris pile up on the ocean floor until a submarine volcano rises above sea level to form a volcanic island . Such volcanoes are typically strung out in curved chains called island arcs.
The following are examples of ocean trenches found on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Java/Sunda Trench; note - deepest point in the Indian Ocean
atolls: Atolls (see Figure 1) are the remains of dormant volcanic islands. In warm tropical oceans, coral colonies establish themselves on the margins of the island. Then, over time, the high elevation of the island collapses and erodes away to sea level leaving behind an outline of the island in the form of the fringing coral reef. The resulting low island is typified by the coral reef that surrounds a low elevation of sand and coral above sea level, with an interior shallow lagoon. Often the remaining dry land is broken into a ring of islets, and some lagoons can be hundreds of square kilometers.
Guyots are submerged atoll structures, which explains why they are flat-topped seamounts.
The following are examples of atolls found in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bassas da India
Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia
Europa Island
Juan de Nova Island
Lakshadweep Islands
Maldive Islands
Seychelles
- continental shelf:
the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Exmouth Plateau
Indus Canyon
The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)
Sunda Shelf
- continental slope:
the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bengal Fan
Indus Fan
- abyssal plains:
the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Arabian Basin
Crozet Basin
Madagascar Basin
Mid-Indian Basin
Mozambique Basin
Wharton Basin
- mid-ocean ridge:
the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Central Indian Ridge
Davie Ridge
Southeast Indian Ridge
Southwest Indian Ridge
- undersea terrain features:
the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Andaman-Nicobar Ridge
Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Kerguelen Plateau
Madagascar Plateau
Mascarene Plateau
Mozambique Plateau
Ninetyeast Ridge
- ocean trenches:
the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Java/Sunda Trench (deepest point in the Indian Ocean)
- atolls:
the following are examples of atolls in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bassas da India
Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia
Europa Island
Juan de Nova Island
Lakshadweep Islands
Maldive Islands
Seychelles
Rewritten: too little of the 2024 text remains to mark the changes.
continental shelf: the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Exmouth Plateau
Indus Canyon
The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)
Sunda Shelf
continental slope: the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bengal Fan
Indus Fan
abyssal plains: the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Arabian Basin
Crozet Basin
Madagascar Basin
Mid-Indian Basin
Mozambique Basin
Wharton Basin
mid-ocean ridge: the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Central Indian Ridge
Davie Ridge
Southeast Indian Ridge
Southwest Indian Ridge
undersea terrain features: the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Andaman-Nicobar Ridge
Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Kerguelen Plateau
Madagascar Plateau
Mascarene Plateau
Mozambique Plateau
Ninetyeast Ridge
ocean trenches: the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Java/Sunda Trench (deepest point in the Indian Ocean)
atolls: the following are examples of atolls in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bassas da India
Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia
Europa Island
Juan de Nova Island
Lakshadweep Islands
Maldive Islands
Seychelles
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Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. “Indian Ocean: Bathymetry.” The World Factbook, 2022–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/indian-ocean/bathymetry.