ÍNDICO

The Indian Ocean is the third largest volume of water in the world and covers approximately 20% of the Earth’s surface. It is bordered to the north by the south of Asia; to the west by the Arabic peninsula and Africa; to the east by the Malayan Peninsula, The Sunda Islands, and Australia; to the south by the Antarctica.

It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20 degree east meridian, to the south of Africa, and from the Pacific Ocean by the meridian 147 degrees east. The northernmost point to the north of the Indian Ocean is approximately at 30 degrees latitude north of the Persian Golf. The ocean measures approximately 10,000 km wide between the southern points of Africa and Australia; covering an area of 73,556.000 km˛, including the Red Sea and the Persian Golf. The volume of the ocean is about 292.131.000 kmł. Small islands are dotted on the continental rims.

The nations of the ocean are Madagascar (the fourth largest island in the world), Comoros, The Seychelles, The Maldives, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka; Indonesia borders it. The importance of the ocean as a transit route between Asia and Africa has made it a scene of conflicts. At any rate, no nation has successfully dominated it successfully until the start of the 19th century when England controlled most of the surrounding land.