Indian Ocean

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The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering
70,560,000 km2 (27,240,000 sq mi) (approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's
surface).[1] It is bounded by Asia on the north, on the west by Africa, on the east
by Australia, and on the south by the Southern Ocean or, depending on definition,
by Antarctica.[2] It is named after India.

The borders of the Indian Ocean, as delineated by the International Hydrographic

Organization in 1953 included the Southern Ocean but not the marginal seas along
the northern rim, but in 2000 the IHO delimited the Southern Ocean separately,
which removed waters south of 60°S from the Indian Ocean, but included the northern
marginal seas.[5] Meridionally, the Indian Ocean is delimited from the Atlantic
Ocean by the 20° east meridian, running south from Cape Agulhas, and from the
Pacific Ocean by the meridian of 146°55'E, running south from the southernmost
point of Tasmania. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30°
north in the Persian Gulf.[citation needed]

The Indian Ocean covers 70,560,000 km2 (27,240,000 sq mi), including the Red Sea
and the Persian Gulf but excluding the Southern Ocean, or 19.5% of the world's
oceans; its volume is 264,000,000 km3 (63,000,000 cu mi) or 19.8% of the world's
oceans' volume; it has an average depth of 3,741 m (12,274 ft) and a maximum depth
of 7,906 m (25,938 ft).[6]

The ocean's continental shelves are narrow, averaging 200 kilometres (120 mi) in
width. An exception is found off Australia's western coast, where the shelf width
exceeds 1,000 kilometres (620 mi). The average depth of the ocean is 3,890 m
(12,762 ft). Its deepest point is Diamantina Deep in Diamantina Trench, at 8,047 m
(26,401 ft) deep; Sunda Trench has a depth of 7,258–7,725 m (23,812–25,344 ft).
North of 50° south latitude, 86% of the main basin is covered by pelagic sediments,
of which more than half is globigerina ooze. The remaining 14% is layered with
terrigenous sediments. Glacial outwash dominates the extreme southern latitudes.
[citation needed]

The major choke points include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, the Lombok Strait,
the Strait of Malacca and the Palk Strait. Seas include the Gulf of Aden, Andaman
Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great Australian Bight, Laccadive Sea, Gulf of
Mannar, Mozambique Channel, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, Red Sea and other tributary
water bodies. The Indian Ocean is artificially connected to the Mediterranean Sea
through the Suez Canal, which is accessible via the Red Sea. All of the Indian
Ocean is in the Eastern Hemisphere and the centre of the Eastern Hemisphere is in
this ocean.