Indian Ocean

Also known as Eastern Ocean, Eastern Sea, Indian Sea, Oriental Sea, Oriental Ocean

ocean bounded by Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica

AI overview

The Indian Ocean is a large body of water bounded by the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica. It is one of the world's major oceans and serves as an important route for global shipping and trade between these continents.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

9,037 papers

Microbial Diversity in the Indian Ocean Sediments: An Insight into the Distribution and Associated Factors.ReviewCurrent microbiology · 2022Ambati M, Kumar MSDOI: 10.1007/s00284-022-02801-z
The Incidence of Tetrodotoxin and Its Analogs in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.ReviewMarine drugs · 2019Tamele IJ, Silva M, Vasconcelos VDOI: 10.3390/md17010028
The Indian Ocean 'garbage patch': Empirical evidence from floating macro-litter.Marine pollution bulletin · 2021Connan M, Perold V, Dilley BJ et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112559
New species and records of Heterospio (Annelida, Longosomatidae) from continental shelf, slope and abyssal depths of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and adjacent seas.ReviewZootaxa · 2023Blake JA, Maciolek NJDOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5260.1.1
Microplastics in the Indian Ocean: a review of the ingestion and trophic transfer in commercial pelagic fish.ReviewEnvironmental monitoring and assessment · 2025Beeharry MJ, Duflos G, Dufossé LDOI: 10.1007/s10661-025-14455-y
Overview of monitoring methods and environmental distribution: Microplastics in the Indian Ocean.ReviewMarine pollution bulletin · 2025Zhou L, Li J, Zhao C et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117715
Coccolithophores: an environmentally significant and understudied phytoplankton group in the Indian Ocean.ReviewEnvironmental monitoring and assessment · 2021Arundhathy M, Jyothibabu R, Santhikrishnan S et al.DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08794-1
A meta-analytic review of microplastic pollution in the Indian Ocean: Ecological health and seafood safety risk implications.ReviewMarine pollution bulletin · 2023Nugawela NPPS, Mahaliyana AS, Abhiram G et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115213

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Area: 76174000
Elevation: 0
Image: Indian Ocean-CIA WFB Map.png
Width: 10000

Show 6 more facts

coordinates of westernmost point: -34.833237,20.0091
Commons gallery: Indian Ocean
Commons category: Indian Ocean
volume as quantity: 282650000
vertical depth: 3711
P12749: Monika Kaserer

Sources (10)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Article

The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering 70,560,000 km (27,240,000 sq mi) or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by the Southern Ocean or Antarctica, depending on the definition in use. The Indian Ocean has large marginal or regional seas, including the Andaman Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Laccadive Sea.

Geologically, the Indian Ocean is the youngest of the oceans (being directly preceded by the Tethys Ocean, which fragmented into the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean only 20 million years ago), and it has distinct features such as narrow continental shelves. Its average depth is 3,741 m. It is the warmest ocean, with a significant impact on global climate due to its interaction with the atmosphere. Its waters are affected by the Indian Ocean Walker circulation, resulting in unique oceanic currents and upwelling patterns. The Indian Ocean is ecologically diverse, with important ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds. It hosts a significant portion of the world's tuna catch and is home to endangered marine species. The climate around the Indian Ocean is characterized by monsoons.