What mainland is the Indian Ocean? Which countries are washed by the Indian Ocean?

Studying geography, a person better acquainted with the planet on which he lives, gets an idea of the scale of the world and learns to take care of nature, admiring its unique corners. Oceans are one of the most impressive themes possible. Each of these huge reservoirs is worthy of attention. Let's consider today the Indian Ocean.

Features & History

Before you study what the mainland is washing the Indian Ocean, you should learn the details about him. Dimensions, it is slightly inferior to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. So, its area is 76 million square kilometers. The ocean extends most widely in the southern hemisphere, and in the North, rather, resembles the sea. The ancients perceived it precisely in this capacity, and only the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries changed the notion of this territory. The first European to collect information about him was Vasco da Gama, followed by James Cook. Today, people know much more than before. The average depth of the ocean is almost four kilometers. Its deepest point is the Yavan Trench. Here the depth of the ocean is 7,729 meters. The Pacific Ocean is famous for its blue color, and the waters of its Indian counterpart are transparent and famous for its azure hue. This is due to the fact that it runs into few fresh rivers. Therefore, the seas connected with it are distinguished by a record salinity - the Red Sea is known for this to the whole world. Nevertheless, the Indian Ocean is full of life. Here, for a long time, fisheries have been developed, pearl hunting, extraction from the bottom of gas and oil and even precious stones, such as emeralds or diamonds.

Washed continents

So, the basic information is studied. Now you can find out which continents are washed by the Indian Ocean. Despite its modest in comparison with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, it is located next to four continents. This is Eurasia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. Because of this location, the waters of the ocean change their temperature from +30 degrees in the equator to +1 ^o C closer to the pole. The maximum length is 10 000 kilometers. Throughout the length of the ocean from west to east there are various climatic zones, in the Indian Ocean there are all possible options. In the north - the warmest area. Here are the hot currents that separate the region from the cold masses. Hot section is characterized by maximum temperature not only for a particular ocean, but also for the whole planet as a whole. With every ten kilometers to the pole, the degree decreases. Salinity also changes, but in the reverse order. In the region near the coast of Eurasia, the water is strongly influenced by monsoons, changing directions of currents. Now you can easily list the continents that wash the Indian Ocean, and can even explain what its features are in different parts of the planet.

Coastal States

Having studied what continents are washing the Indian Ocean, you can go to more specific information. There are quite a lot of countries on the coast of this huge water basin. This is the mainland and island states, the latter should be considered separately. So, which countries are washed by the Indian Ocean? India, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Madagascar, Somalia, Oman, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros, Maldives, Sri Lanka -Lanka, Mozambique, Mauritius and the Republic of South Africa. Many of them become popular tourist destinations precisely because of their favorable location, and in some with it, most of the production is connected.

Island States

Having figured out which countries are washed by the Indian Ocean, some of them should be considered in more detail. Island states here are few, but each is characterized by unique natural conditions and is popular with tourists. The most famous, perhaps, is Madagascar, once a French colony. No less popular is Sri Lanka - a beautiful resort, a place of tea plantations and legendary elephants. There are volcanic islands in the Indian Ocean (Prince Edward, Mascarene, Crozet). The largest islands that wash the Indian Ocean, in addition to Madagascar, are included in such groups as the Maldives, Andaman or Coconut.

Seas

An educated person will easily answer not only the question of which mainland is washed by the Indian Ocean. It is necessary to know the seas that belong to its basin. The Indian Ocean lags behind others in their number, as well as in size. The largest is the Red Sea in the north. The Arabian and Andaman Seas are also great. In the eastern part there are Timor, Lakadiv and Arafura Seas. Due to their physical and geographical characteristics, the seas of the Indian Ocean can also include two gulfs - Bengal and Persian. In the south, there are areas that are sometimes referred to as the unofficial basin of the South Sea (Cosmonauts, Davis, Commonwealth, D'Urville and Rieser-Larsen, which differ from the above-mentioned by the considerably lower water temperature associated with the location near Antarctica).

Currents

It is worth paying attention to such a component of the pool. What parts of the world are washed by the Indian Ocean, directly affects the temperature of the currents entering it. Warm, laying their routes in the north or west, called South Passatny, Madagascar and Iglazhny. There are two cold currents in the Indian Ocean. This is the course of the Western Winds, carrying its waters in the southernmost part, and the West Australian, which has a "residence permit" in the east of the basin. A distinctive feature of most of these flows is a pronounced seasonal variation in the direction of surface water. In the north-east of the ocean, this is directly related to the presence in the region of a large number of regular tropical monsoons.