Indian Ocean (2008) | Tromelin Island (2002) | |
Airports | - | 1 (2001) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | 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 |
total: 1 sq km
land: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 5.5 times the size of the US | about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station. |
Climate | 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 | tropical |
Coastline | 66,526 km | 3.7 km |
Country name | - | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tromelin Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Tromelin |
Dependency status | - | possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion |
Disputes - international | some maritime disputes (see littoral states) | claimed by Madagascar and Mauritius |
Economy - overview | 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. | no economic activity |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
highest point: sea level 0 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 7 m |
Environment - current issues | endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea | NA |
Flag description | - | the flag of France is used |
Geographic coordinates | 20 00 S, 80 00 E | 15 52 S, 54 25 E |
Geography - note | major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait | climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises) |
Irrigated land | - | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Land boundaries | - | 0 km |
Land use | - | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (grasses; scattered bushes) (1998 est.) |
Legal system | - | the laws of France, where applicable, apply |
Location | body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
Map references | Political Map of the World | Africa |
Maritime claims | - | continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
Natural hazards | occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches | NA |
Natural resources | oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules | fish |
Population | - | uninhabited, except for visits by scientists (July 2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none; offshore anchorage only |
Terrain | 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 | low, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic |
Waterways | - | none |