Amongst the five oceans of the word, the Indian Ocean is best known for its scenic beauty and beaches.  Of the 71% of the water that is found on this earth, 20% of it is contributed by the Indian Ocean. In terms of size, the Indian Ocean, also known as Ratnakar in the Sanskrit, is the third largest ocean in the world. The ocean is also very important from the purpose of transportation and land connectivity as it provides routes to all many nations including Africa, Europe, America, Middle East etc. Â
The Indian Ocean gets its name from India. The ocean is surrounded by land on almost all sides. On its north lies India. On the west side of the Ocean, lies the continent of Africa. On its South lies the Antarctica (or the Southern Ocean according to the new oceans) and the east side is covered by Indo China as well as the Australia. As we know that all land forms whether oceans or the mountains are created by the movement of the tectonic plates, the Indian Ocean must have been created the same way. Currently, the three plates- Antarctic, Indian and Africa unite together at one place called the Rodrigues triple point. Â The name of this point came from the island Rodrigues ad it is nearby this island that the triple point lays.
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Within the Indian Ocean, lie many island nations. Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, all lie within the Indian Ocean. Some sources state that the deepest point of the Indian Ocean is the Diamintina Trench. However, the physical Map as drawn by the CIA, Considers the Java trench to be the deepest point of the Indian Ocean. The Java Trench also known as the Sunda Trench is 7,725 meters deep. The Red sea and the Persian Gulf are both a part of the Indian Ocean.Â
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The climate of the places surrounding the Indian Ocean is largely rainy, hot and humid. The climate can more or less be called the Monsoon types. However, at times, strong cyclones and tornadoes lead to problems, For instance, the El-Nino in 199b created much havoc in Maldives. A lot many lives were taken and the economy was greatly hampered. Similarly, the Tsunami in India also caused great destruction. Thus, at times, the effect of the wind, the tides and the gravitational pull can lead to extremely destructive results.Â
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Many different rivers flow into the Indian Ocean. Ganges, Brahmaputra from the India, Zambezi from Africa, Shatt-al-Arab from Arabia, Jubba from Somalia etc. all flow into the Indian Ocean. Apart from these, the Indian Ocean also has many ridges- Central Indian Ridge, Carlsberg Ridge, Ninety East Ridge; Southeast Indian Ridge etc. are all located in the Indian Ocean itself.Â
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The Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea combined together make the Indian Ocean. The Arabian Sea does not make the Indian Ocean but is essentially only a part of it. On the east side of the Indian Ocean, lies India. On its west lies the Indian Peninsula. The Indian Ocean is bound by two nations- Pakistan and Iran in the north side. A lot of different rivers flow into the Arabian Sea and thus, consequentially into the Indian Ocean, the most important being the river Indus. The Lakshwadeep islands lie in the Arabian Sea. The Arabian Sea forms the coastline of a major part of India- from Gujarat to Kerala. The Gulf of Aden, in the Arabian Sea, connects it to the Red Sea. Similarly, the Gulf of Oman connects it to the Persian Gulf. The Arabian Sea connects the countries lying in the Indian Ocean (including India) to the rest of the European World. It makes the major sea route.Â
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The Bay of Bengal is yet again an integral part of India. The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the entire world. The Bay of Bengal forms the coastal line of many countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma. A lot many rivers from the different nations flow into the Bay of Bengal. The prominent one amongst these is Pad, Jamuna, Krishna, Kaveri and Meghna. The island of Andaman and Nicobar lie in the Bay of Bengal itself. Â
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The Bay of Bengal as well as the Arabian Sea is prone to cyclones and tornadoes. However, the Bay of Bengal is more prone to the Cyclones than the Arabian Sea. This is because the Bay of Bengal is warmer and thus, conducive to the growth of cyclones. Apart from this, the regions lying inside or near the Bay of Bengal are also susceptible to Tsunamis as well as earthquakes due to the activity of the Indian Plate and the Burma plate. Some volcanoes are also created due to the activity of these plates.Â
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