Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean, the name given to the vast body of water that extends upwards from the Southern Ocean between the continents of Africa and Australia, and, reaching the Asiatic coast, is split up by the Indian peninsula into the Arabian Sea west, and the Bay of Bengal east. The 38th parallel of south latitude may be taken as its lower limit, the configuration of the bed showing a sort of natural boundary along this line, and the whole area of 17,000,000 square miles is unevenly divided by the Equator. The Red Sea and the Persian Gulf branch out to the north-west, and a wide channel, dotted with islands to the east, opens into the Pacific. The average depth is 2,500 fathoms, but this is considerably increased between Java and Australia, whilst a diminution of 1,000 fathoms takes place along the southern limit, and is marked by the volcanic islets of St. Paul, New Amsterdam, the Crozets, the Kerguelen, Prince Edward, and Heard groups. Madagascar, Mauritius, Bourbon, the Seychelles, the Comoro and Chagos groups, the Maldives and Laccadives, and Socotra, rise from comparatively shallow banks in the western portion, whilst Ceylon, the Andaman, and Nicobar clusters mark a similar platform at the entrance of the Bay of Bengal. The currents, especially in the northern half, are considerably affected by periodical winds.