All this becomes a reality for tourists coming to the resorts of the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Ocean Islands are an all-season destination for luxury holidays. It remains to decide what you prefer: relaxation and contemplation, active sports, the opportunity to touch the antiquities or watch the most unusual creatures on Earth.

Mauritius

Tropical Mauritius was once a favorite haunt of pirates, and now the island attracts thousands of tourists every year with its luxurious hotels and snow-white beaches, surrounded by mountains of volcanic origin. This place is suitable not only for heat-loving couch potatoes, but also for inquisitive travelers who want to get acquainted with the amazing colonial architecture of the region, Indian temples and botanical gardens. Here you can also spot rare birds, take a walk in the park with lions or swim with dolphins, or you can even test your strength by going in for extreme sports - windsurfing and kitesurfing are very popular on the island.

Mauritius is located just 20 degrees south of the equator, so the temperature here does not drop below +25 ° C. Most tourists go here on vacation when it gets cold in the Northern Hemisphere, so the peak tourist season on the island is from October to April. However, at this time of the year it is quite hot and humid, and sometimes rainy. The best time to visit Mauritius is the local winter, which begins in the Southern Hemisphere in May.

Mauritius is quite small, only 45 × 65 sq. km, however, due to the unique landscape, the weather here is very changeable. You can hardly go around this small island quickly, and all because it is riddled with narrow and winding roads, on which it is simply impossible to accelerate. In addition, when planning excursions, it is worth remembering that left-hand traffic has remained on the island since the British colonial era. Therefore, it is better for tourists to use the services of a taxi or an organized transfer.

The tourist center of Mauritius is the resort town of Grand Baie in the northeast of the island, where most of the hotels and entertainment facilities are concentrated. The west coast is the most expensive and prestigious: those who are accustomed to relaxing in the most luxurious hotels and who want to sunbathe on the most beautiful white sand beaches come here. The south is considered the greenest, wildest and very interesting part of the island.

Where to settle

The pearl of Mauritius - Paradis & Golf Club on the Le Morne peninsula. This hotel is considered one of the best on the southwest coast. It is especially remembered by the guests due to the breathtaking views from the rooms to the picturesque beach and the lagoon.

Whether you're looking for a relaxing getaway with multiple dining options, a brand-name spa, the largest fitness center in Mauritius, its own international golf course and a golf academy, Paradis Resort is the perfect choice for those looking to get active. and enjoys water sports. On the beach, hotel guests can use any equipment free of charge, including masks with a snorkel and windsurfing equipment. A separate fee will be asked only for the services of a personal instructor. By the way, this hotel hosts the Kite Jam Festival, which every year gathers professionals and amateurs of wind and kite surfing from all over the world. Within the framework of the festival, amateur competitions, master classes from world champions and the best athletes of the planet are held, as well as surfing and kiteboarding schools.

Madagascar

Madagascar is the largest island in the Indian Ocean, one of the poorest countries in the world, but at the same time one of the safest countries in Africa. Such nature as in Madagascar cannot be found anywhere else. The flora and fauna of the island are rich in absolutely endemic plants and animals that cannot be found in other parts of the world.

Baobabs grow everywhere in Madagascar. In some areas, impressive rows of giant trees line up, in the crowns of which an African sun pancake beautifully "gets stuck" during sunset, giving tourists the opportunity to take photos of amazing beauty.

Here you can see 70 species of lemurs and chameleons and even watch humpback whales. The best time to see whales migrating is from June to September, but they appear all year round in the waters of the east coast.

There is also a unique stone forest on the island, covering an area of ​​​​more than 150 thousand hectares and representing sharp karst spiers, the approximate age of which is a million years. Stone Forest consists of intricate labyrinths, through which tours are organized for tourists.

As a rule, travelers go to Madagascar to see the jungle, wild animals, take part in a safaris or follow adapted and safe tourist routes, which are complemented by a few days of relaxation on the coast. The most popular recreation areas for foreign tourists are the resorts of the Anakao Peninsula and the beaches of a tiny island near Madagascar - Nosy Be.

The north of the country is very fond of divers all over the world, including from Russia. The long coastline with unique underwater plants and animals gives them a completely new diving experience.

The climate of Madagascar is very diverse: on the coast it is tropical, in the depths it is closer to subtropical, and in the south it is dry (arid), with high air temperatures that experience large daily fluctuations and with negligible rainfall. The island has two seasons. The hot and humid season - the Madagascar summer - lasts from November to April, the air temperature in these months is + 25 + 27 ° C, the cooler dry season is set from May to October (+ 20 + 24 ° C).

Where to settle

One of the best hotels in the popular resort island of Nosy Be is the Ravintsara Wellness Hotel. "Fantastic holidays", "royal vacation", "heaven on earth" - these are the reviews of tourists for Ravintsara's beautiful and spacious beachfront bungalows, green gardens around, excellent service and gourmet cuisine. The hotel also offers entertainment for every taste: boat trips, quad bike rides. The cost of accommodation - from 300 dollars per day.

Seychelles

Seychelles is an archipelago of magical beauty, 115 islands, many of which are uninhabited, scattered in the waters of the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa. Breathtaking secluded beaches, unique nature and climate have made the islands perhaps the most idyllic tourist destination in the world.

Seychelles is one of the few resort areas where you can just pick up and fly at any time of the year without worrying about seasonal weather changes. The climate here is quite stable throughout the year, the average air temperature on the islands is + 26 + 30º C. During the peak season (December-January), precipitation becomes more frequent on the islands, which disappear only by mid-March, but they cannot be called plentiful and in fact they do not interfere with the rest of tourists.

The warmest and calmest weather is set in April-May and October-November. During this period, the islands have ideal conditions for swimming, snorkeling and diving: the water temperature reaches +29º C, and visibility often exceeds 30 meters.

The period from October to April is the best time for fishing enthusiasts, and from April to October is the season for watching exotic birds. It is during these months that they breed, nurse their offspring and migrate to other lands. From May to September, fans of surfing and windsurfing flock to the Seychelles.

The main island of the archipelago, on which the international airport is located - about. Mahe. Those who fly to the Seychelles in search of peace and secluded relaxation are unlikely to appreciate the hustle and bustle of Mahe, but it’s worth staying here if only to study the colonial architecture of the capital of the Seychelles - the city of Victoria, or visit the botanical garden, which contains dozens of species of tropical plants. The surroundings of Mahe Island have great opportunities for deep-sea diving: here you can not only swim with magnificent tropical fish, but also walk through the habitats of reef and nosed sharks, rays, sea urchins, and sea turtles.

Each island of the archipelago has its own atmosphere, and if you don’t want the noise of Mahe at all, then you can go to small islands where complete peace and quiet reigns.

Where to settle

One of the best hotels in Mahe is Banyan Tree Seychelles, located on the picturesque southwestern coast of the island. There are 60 villas on the territory of Banyan Tree, each of which has its own pool.

This resort is in a quiet location away from anything that might disturb you during your holiday. This sometimes makes the guests think that they are on a desert island, on which someone invisible provides round-the-clock comfort. Nearby there are no places of entertainment and significant tourist places, so it is chosen by those who are going to enjoy a vacation away from civilization. The cost of renting a villa - from 1200 dollars per day.

Maldives

The Maldives is about 20 groups of atolls, but only half of the islands that make up them are open to tourists. If you are planning to visit the Republic of Maldives for the first time and are looking for some general recommendations for choosing a resort, then you need to remember the main thing: each of the Maldivian resorts is on its own island, the sizes of the islands vary from 2.5 km to 150 m (from coast to coast). This means that all facilities in the resort (restaurants, bars, sports facilities, etc.) will be the only entertainment for the duration of your stay in the Maldives. Therefore, their infrastructure must be carefully studied in advance in order not to fall into deep despondency on a long-awaited vacation. In general, there are offers for tourists for every taste: from affordable bungalows adjacent to diving equipment rental points, to secluded luxury villas on stilts in the sea, from the terrace of which you can hang your legs and admire the colored fish swimming in the water.

The Maldives archipelago is located almost on the equator, the climate here is tropical, the temperature is stable all year round (about +28+30º C). The hottest season on the islands falls on our winter: from December to April, the islands are dry, and the air temperature reaches its highest levels.

Most of the activities in the Maldives are centered around water activities. Snorkeling and diving are very popular - vacationers have the opportunity to see the most beautiful coral reefs and get acquainted with 700 species of exotic fish that live in the Indian Ocean. Surfers (both advanced and beginners) also like to come here to spend an invigorating vacation, cutting the waves on the board. Fans of a more relaxing holiday may be interested in fishing in open water.

Where to settle

One of the most famous Maldivian resorts Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa is located on the large and very picturesque Addu Atoll, on Villingili Island. Shangri-La offers accommodation in fully equipped traditional style villas. Guests can choose a house in the garden, on the shore or on stilts right above the water. It offers vacationers several restaurants, an outdoor pool, a gym, a kids club, a beauty salon and a spa center that offers various face and body care programs, scrubs, body wraps, as well as massage and stone therapy. On the territory there are tennis and badminton courts, a small golf course, as well as everything you need for snorkeling, diving, windsurfing and fishing.

Tourists are delivered to the resort from Male International Airport by plane or speedboat.

O. Ceylon

The island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is a real corner of the eternal holiday. The number of significant events that are celebrated here is more than 160 a year! Add to this colorful beaches, misty mountains, tea plantations and luxurious hotels - and you get a truly unforgettable vacation in the realm of nature on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

Sri Lanka's well-developed tourist infrastructure provides holidaymakers with excellent leisure opportunities for all tastes, from "doing nothing" on the beaches and pampering in local spas to wildlife watching, extreme sports and pilgrimages to ancient cities.

The climate in Sri Lanka is equatorial. It is warm and humid all year round, with a rainy season in summer. The average annual air temperature on the island is +28º C, the water temperature in the Indian Ocean reaches +26º C.

The largest city of the island nation is noisy, crazy Colombo. Tourists come here to get acquainted with the main attractions: admire the colonial buildings, mosques, churches, Buddhist and Hindu temples, see the President's residence (or the Queen's House), visit the National Museum and art gallery. There is also a wonderful zoo in Colombo, where tourists tend to get to the elephant show.

The beaches of the island enjoy great love of tourists. Moreover, Sri Lanka is gaining more and more popularity among those who love active water sports. Surfers managed to take a fancy to Arugam Bay - a place 314 km from Colombo, on the southeast coast of Ceylon, which was included in the honorary list of the ten best surf beaches in the world. Arugam Bay is popular with beginners, but for experienced athletes, the west coast has become a point of attraction, where you can catch an impressive wave. The town of Negombo on the west coast of Sri Lanka has become a hangout for kitesurfers who come here for the winds from May to the end of September.

Due to the diverse relief of the island, Ceylon has excellent conditions for rafting, hiking and mountain biking.

Wildlife lovers come to Sri Lanka to watch whales and dolphins that appear in the waters near the town of Mirissa. At certain times of the year, sea turtles can also be seen coming ashore to lay their eggs.

Where to settle

The most famous resort for a beach holiday in Sri Lanka is Bentota and its surroundings. Most of the hotels offering accommodation for every taste are located here. Nevertheless, the hotels are located at a considerable distance from each other, so tourists can enjoy a relaxing holiday.

Beautiful secluded hotel in Benot - Saman Villas, which is located on a small rocky hill, right on the ocean. It is quiet and comfortable here, the number of rooms (and especially the open-air bathroom) pleases travelers who do not skimp on positive reviews. Tourists also note the excellent cuisine at the hotel restaurant and praise the treatments at the local spa. The cost of living is about 300 dollars per day.

The small village of Hikkaduwa is popular with divers and surfers, who are notoriously picky, so it's mostly budget hotels and apartments.

You can swim with a mask, swim in calm waters, which are protected from waves by a coral ridge, in the resort of Trincomalee, which is located on the east coast of the country.

Irina Lavery

INDIAN OCEAN, the third largest ocean on Earth (after the Pacific and Atlantic), part of the World Ocean. Located between Africa in the northwest, Asia in the north, Australia in the east and Antarctica in the south.

Physical-geographical sketch

General information

Border I. o. in the west (with the Atlantic Ocean south of Africa) they are drawn along the meridian of Cape Agulhas (20 ° E) to the coast of Antarctica (Queen Maud Land), in the east (with the Pacific Ocean south of Australia) - along the eastern border of the Bass Strait to the island of Tasmania, and further along the meridian 146 ° 55 "" in. to Antarctica, in the northeast (with the Pacific Ocean) - between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca, then along the southwestern shores of the island of Sumatra, the Sunda Strait, the southern coast of the island of Java, the southern borders of the Bali and Savu seas, the northern border of the Arafura sea, the southwestern coast of New Guinea and the western border of the Torres Strait. Southern high-latitude part of I. o. sometimes referred to as the Southern Ocean, which combines the Antarctic sectors of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, such a geographical nomenclature is not universally recognized, and, as a rule, I. o. viewed within its usual boundaries. And about. - the only one of the oceans, which is located b. hours in the southern hemisphere and is limited in the north by a powerful land mass. Unlike other oceans, its mid-ocean ridges form three branches, diverging in different directions from the central part of the ocean.

Area I. o. with seas, bays and straits 76.17 million km 2, water volume 282.65 million km 3, average depth 3711 m (2nd place after the Pacific Ocean); without them - 64.49 million km 2, 255.81 million km 3, 3967 m. The greatest depth in the deep Sunda Trench– 7729 m at 11°10"" S. sh. and 114°57"" E. The shelf zone of the ocean (conditionally up to 200 m depth) occupies 6.1% of its area, the continental slope (from 200 to 3000 m) 17.1%, the bed (over 3000 m) 76.8%. See map.

Seas

Seas, bays and straits in the waters of I. o. almost three times less than in the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean, they are mainly concentrated in its northern part. Seas of the tropical zone: Mediterranean - Red; marginal - Arabian, Laccadive, Andaman, Timor, Arafura; Antarctic zone: marginal - Davis, Durville (D "Urville), Cosmonauts, Mawson, Riiser-Larsen, Commonwealth (see separate articles about the seas). The largest bays: Bengal, Persian, Aden, Oman, Great Australian, Carpentaria, Prydz. Straits: Mozambique, Bab el-Mandeb, Bass, Hormuz, Malacca, Polk, Tenth Degree, Great Channel.

Islands

Unlike other oceans, the islands are few in number. The total area is about 2 million km2. The largest islands of mainland origin are Socotra, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Tasmania, Sumatra, Java, Timor. Volcanic islands: Reunion, Mauritius, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen and others; coral - Laccadive, Maldivian, Amirant, Chagos, Nicobar, b. h. Andaman, Seychelles; coral Comoros, Cocos and other islands rise on volcanic cones.

coast

And about. is distinguished by a relatively small indentation of the coastline, with the exception of the northern and northeastern parts, where b. including the seas and the main large bays; there are few convenient bays. The coasts of Africa in the western part of the ocean are alluvial, poorly dissected, often surrounded by coral reefs; in the northwestern part - indigenous. In the north, low, slightly dissected coasts with lagoons and sand bars, places with mangroves, bordered by coastal lowlands (Malabar coast, Coromandel coast) prevail, abrasion-accumulative (Konkan coast) and deltaic coasts are also common. In the east, the shores are indigenous, in Antarctica they are covered with glaciers descending to the sea, ending in ice cliffs several tens of meters high.

Bottom relief

In the relief of the bottom I. o. four main elements of geotecture are distinguished: the underwater margins of the continents (including the shelf and the continental slope), transitional zones, or zones of island arcs, the ocean floor, and mid-ocean ridges. The area of ​​the underwater margins of the continents in the I. o. is 17,660 thousand km 2. The underwater margin of Africa is distinguished by a narrow shelf (from 2 to 40 km), its edge is located at a depth of 200–300 m. Only near the southern tip of the continent, the shelf expands significantly and in the region of the Agulhas Plateau extends up to 250 km from the coast. Significant areas of the shelf are occupied by coral structures. The transition from the shelf to the continental slope is expressed by a clear inflection of the bottom surface and a rapid increase in its slope up to 10–15°. The underwater margin of Asia off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula also has a narrow shelf, gradually expanding on the Malabar coast of Hindustan and off the coast of the Bay of Bengal, while the depth at its outer border increases from 100 to 500 m. 4200 m, Sri Lanka). The shelf and the continental slope in some areas are cut by several narrow and deep canyons, the most pronounced canyons, which are underwater continuations of the channels of the Ganges rivers (together with the Brahmaputra River, it annually carries out into the ocean about 1200 million tons of suspended and entrained sediments that formed a layer of sediments over 3500 m thick). The Indian Ocean submarine margin of Australia is distinguished by an extensive shelf, especially in the northern and northwestern parts; in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea up to 900 km wide; the greatest depth is 500 m. The continental slope to the west of Australia is complicated by underwater ledges and separate underwater plateaus. On the underwater margin of Antarctica, everywhere there are traces of the influence of the ice load of a huge glacier covering the mainland. The shelf here belongs to a special glacial type. Its outer boundary almost coincides with the 500 m isobath. The width of the shelf is from 35 to 250 km. The continental slope is complicated by longitudinal and transverse ridges, separate ridges, valleys and deep trenches. At the foot of the continental slope, almost everywhere there is an accumulative plume composed of terrigenous material brought by glaciers. The largest slopes of the bottom are noted in the upper part; with increasing depth, the slope gradually flattens out.

Transitional zone at the bottom I. o. stands out only in the area adjacent to the arc of the Sunda Islands, and represents the southeastern part of the Indonesian transitional region. It includes: the basin of the Andaman Sea, the island arc of the Sunda Islands and deep-sea trenches. The most morphologically expressed in this zone is the deep-water Sunda Trench with slopes of 30° or more. Relatively small deep-sea trenches stand out southeast of Timor Island and east of the Kai Islands, but due to the thick sedimentary layer, their maximum depths are relatively small - 3310 m (Timor Trench) and 3680 m (Kai Trench). The transition zone is extremely seismically active.

Mid-ocean ridges form three underwater mountain ranges, diverging from the area with coordinates 22 ° S. sh. and 68° E. to the northwest, southwest and southeast. Each of the three branches is divided according to morphological features into two independent ranges: the northwestern one - into the Middle Aden Range and Arabian Indian Range, southwestern - on West Indian Range and the African-Antarctic Ridge, southeast - on Central Indian Range And Australo-Antarctic Rise. That. the median ridges divide the bed of the I. o. into three major sectors. The median ridges are extensive uplifts fragmented by transform faults into separate blocks with a total length of over 16 thousand km, the foot of which is located at depths of about 5000–3500 m. m.

In each of the three sectors of the ocean floor, I. o. characteristic forms of relief are distinguished: basins, individual ridges, plateaus, mountains, trenches, canyons, etc. 6000 m), Madagascar Basin(4500–6400 m), Agulhas(4000–5000 m); submarine ridges: Mascarene Ridge, Madagascar; plateau: Agulhas, Mozambique; separate mountains: Equator, Africana, Vernadsky, Hall, Bardin, Kurchatov; Amirant Trench, Mauritius Trench; canyons: Zambezi, Tanganyika and Tagela. The following basins are distinguished in the northeastern sector: Arabian (4000–5000 m), Central (5000–6000 m), Cocos (5000–6000 m), North Australian (Argo Plain; 5000–5500 m), West Australian Basin(5000–6500 m), Naturalista (5000–6000 m) and South Australian Basin(5000–5500 m); submarine ridges: maldives range, East Indian Range, Western Australian (Broken Plateau); Cuvier mountain range; Exmouth Plateau; upland Mill; separate mountains: Moscow State University, Shcherbakov and Afanasy Nikitin; East Indian Trench; canyons: rivers Indus, Ganges, Seatown and Murray. In the Antarctic sector, there are basins: Crozet (4500–5000 m), African-Antarctic basin (4000–5000 m) and Australo-Antarctic Basin(4000–5000 m, maximum - 6089 m); plateau: Kerguelen, Crozetand Amsterdam; separate mountains: Lena and Ob. The shapes and sizes of the basins are different: from round ones with a diameter of about 400 km (Komorskaya) to oblong giants 5500 km long (Central), the degree of their isolation and the bottom topography are different: from flat or gently undulating to hilly and even mountainous.

Geological structure

Feature I. about. is that its formation occurred both as a result of the splitting and subsidence of continental masses, and as a result of the expansion of the bottom and the neoformation of the oceanic crust within the mid-ocean (spreading) ridges, the system of which was repeatedly rebuilt. The modern system of mid-ocean ridges consists of three branches, converging at the point of the triple junction of Rodriguez. In the northern branch, the Arabian-Indian Ridge continues northwest of the Owen Transform Fault Zone with the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea rift systems and connects with the East African inland rift systems. In the southeastern branch, the Central Indian Ridge and the Australo-Antarctic Rise are separated by the Amsterdam Fault Zone, with which the plateau of the same name is connected with the volcanic islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul. The Arabian-Indian and Central Indian ridges are slow-spreading (the spreading rate is 2–2.5 cm/year), have a well-defined rift valley, and are crossed by numerous transform faults. The wide Australo-Antarctic Rise does not have a pronounced rift valley; speed spreading it is higher than in other ranges (3.7–7.6 cm/year). South of Australia, the uplift is broken by the Australo-Antarctic fault zone, where the number of transform faults increases and the spreading axis shifts along the faults to the south. The ridges of the southwestern branch are narrow, with a deep rift valley, and are densely crossed by transform faults oriented at an angle to the strike of the ridge. They are characterized by a very low spreading rate (about 1.5 cm/year). The West Indian Ridge is separated from the African-Antarctic Ridge by the Prince Edward, Du Toit, Andrew Bain and Marion faults, which shift the axis of the ridge almost 1000 km to the south. The age of the oceanic crust within the spreading ridges is predominantly Oligocene-Quaternary. The West Indian Ridge, which intrudes into the structures of the Central Indian Ridge as a narrow wedge, is considered the youngest.

The spreading ridges divide the ocean floor into three sectors - the African in the west, the Asian-Australian in the northeast and the Antarctic in the south. Within the sectors there are intra-oceanic uplifts of various nature, represented by "aseismic" ridges, plateaus and islands. Tectonic (blocky) uplifts have a block structure with different thicknesses of the crust; often include continental remnants. Volcanic uplifts are mainly associated with fault zones. Uplifts are the natural boundaries of deep-sea basins. African sector is distinguished by the predominance of fragments of continental structures (including microcontinents), within which the thickness of the earth's crust reaches 17–40 km (Agulyas and Mozambique plateaus, the Madagascar ridge with the island of Madagascar, individual blocks of the Mascarene ridge with the bank of the Seychelles and the bank of Saya de -Malya). Volcanic uplifts and structures include the Comoros underwater ridge crowned with archipelagos of coral and volcanic islands, the Amirantsky ridge, the Reunion Islands, Mauritius, Tromelin, the Farquhar massif. In the western part of the African sector, I. o. (western part of the Somali Basin, northern part of the Mozambique Basin), adjacent to the eastern submarine margin of Africa, the age of the earth's crust is predominantly Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous; in the central part of the sector (Mascarenskaya and Madagascar basins) - Late Cretaceous; in the northeastern part of the sector (eastern part of the Somali Basin) - Paleocene-Eocene. Ancient spreading axes and transform faults crossing them have been identified in the Somali and Mascarene basins.

For the northwestern (Asian) part Asian-Australian sector typical meridional "aseismic" ridges of block structure with increased thickness of the oceanic crust, the formation of which is associated with a system of ancient transform faults. These include the Maldives Range, crowned with archipelagos of coral islands - Laccadive, Maldives and Chagos; so-called. 79° ridge, Lanka ridge with Mount Athanasius Nikitin, East Indian (so-called 90° ridge), Investigator, and others. the ridges extending in this direction, as well as the structures of the transition zone from the Indian Ocean to the southeastern margin of Asia, partially overlap. The Murri Range in the northern part of the Arabian Basin, which limits the Oman Basin from the south, is a continuation of the folded land structures; enters the Owen Fault Zone. To the south of the equator, a sublatitudinal zone of intraplate deformations up to 1000 km wide was revealed, which is characterized by high seismicity. It stretches in the Central and Coconut basins from the Maldives Range to the Sunda Trench. The Arabian Basin is underlain by the crust of the Paleocene-Eocene age, the Central Basin - by the crust of the Late Cretaceous - Eocene age; the bark is the youngest in the southern part of the basins. In the Coconut Basin, the age of the crust varies from Late Cretaceous in the south to Eocene in the north; an ancient spreading axis was established in its northwestern part, separating the Indian and Australian lithospheric plates until the middle Eocene. The Coconut Bar is a latitudinal uplift with numerous seamounts and islands (including the Cocos Islands) rising above it, and the Ru Rise adjacent to the Sunda Trench separate the southeastern (Australian) part of the Asian-Australian sector. The West Australian Basin (Wharton) in the central part of the Asian-Australian sector of the I. o. underlain in the northwest by Late Cretaceous crust, in the east by Late Jurassic. Submerged continental blocks (marginal plateaus of Exmouth, Cuvier, Zenith, Naturalist) divide the eastern part of the basin into separate depressions - Cuvier (north of the Cuvier plateau), Perth (north of the Naturalist plateau). The crust of the North Australian Basin (Argo) is the most ancient in the south (Late Jurassic); becomes younger in a northerly direction (to the early Cretaceous). The age of the crust of the South Australian Basin is Late Cretaceous – Eocene. The Broken Plateau (West Australian Ridge) is an intra-oceanic uplift with an increased (from 12 to 20 km, according to various sources) crustal thickness.

IN Antarctic sector And about. mainly volcanic intraoceanic uplifts with an increased thickness of the earth's crust are located: the Kerguelen Plateau, Crozet (Del Cano) and Conrad. Within the limits of the largest plateau Kerguelen, supposedly laid down on an ancient transform fault, the thickness of the earth's crust (according to some data, the Early Cretaceous age) reaches 23 km. Towering above the plateau, the Kerguelen Islands are a multiphase volcanoplutonic structure (composed of alkaline basalts and syenites of the Neogene age). Heard Island has Neogene-Quaternary alkaline volcanic rocks. In the western part of the sector, there are the Konrad Plateau with the Ob and Lena volcanic mountains, as well as the Crozet Plateau with a group of volcanic islands Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, composed of Quaternary basalts and intrusive massifs of syenites and monzonites. The age of the earth's crust within the African-Antarctic, Australo-Antarctic basins and the Crozet basin is Late Cretaceous - Eocene.

For I. about. in general, the predominance of passive margins (the continental margins of Africa, the Arabian and Hindustan peninsulas, Australia, and Antarctica) is characteristic. The active margin is observed in the northeastern part of the ocean (the Sunda Indian Ocean–Southeast Asia transition zone), where subduction(thrust) of the ocean lithosphere under the Sunda island arc. A subduction zone limited in length, the Makranskaya, has been identified in the northwestern part of I. O. Along the plateau Agulhas I. o. borders the African continent along the transform fault.

Formation I. about. began in the middle of the Mesozoic during the breakup of the Gondwanan part (see Fig. gondwana) supercontinent Pangea, which was preceded by continental rifting during the Late Triassic - Early Cretaceous. The formation of the first sections of the oceanic crust as a result of the separation of continental plates began in the Late Jurassic in the Somali (about 155 million years ago) and North Australian (151 million years ago) basins. In the Late Cretaceous, the bottom expansion and the new formation of the oceanic crust experienced the northern part of the Mozambique Basin (140–127 million years ago). The separation of Australia from Hindustan and Antarctica, accompanied by the opening of basins with oceanic crust, began in the Early Cretaceous (about 134 million years ago and about 125 million years ago, respectively). Thus, in the Early Cretaceous (about 120 million years ago), narrow oceanic basins arose, cutting into the supercontinent and dividing it into separate blocks. In the middle of the Cretaceous period (about 100 million years ago), the ocean floor began to grow intensively between Hindustan and Antarctica, which led to the drift of Hindustan in a northerly direction. In the time interval 120–85 million years ago, the spreading axes that existed to the north and west of Australia, near the coast of Antarctica and in the Mozambique Channel, died off. In the Late Cretaceous (90–85 million years ago), a split began between Hindustan with the Mascarene-Seychelles block and Madagascar, which was accompanied by bottom spreading in the Mascarene, Madagascar, and Crozet basins, as well as the formation of the Australo-Antarctic Rise. At the turn of the Cretaceous and Paleogene, Hindustan separated from the Mascarene-Seychelles block; the Arabian-Indian spreading ridge arose; spreading axes died off in the Mascarene and Madagascar basins. In the middle of the Eocene, the Indian lithospheric plate merged with the Australian one; the still developing system of mid-ocean ridges was formed. Close to the modern appearance of I. o. acquired at the beginning - middle of the Miocene. In the middle of the Miocene (about 15 million years ago), during the breakup of the Arabian and African plates, a new formation of oceanic crust began in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Modern tectonic movements in I. o. are noted in the mid-ocean ridges (associated with shallow-focus earthquakes), as well as in individual transform faults. The region of intense seismicity is the Sunda island arc, where deep-focus earthquakes are due to the presence of a seismofocal zone plunging in a northeasterly direction. During earthquakes on the northeastern outskirts of I. o. a tsunami is possible.

Bottom sediments

The rate of sedimentation in the I. o. generally lower than in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The thickness of modern bottom sediments varies from a discontinuous distribution on mid-ocean ridges to several hundred meters in deep basins and 5000–8000 m at the foot of continental slopes. The most widespread are calcareous (mainly foraminifero-coccolithic) oozes, covering over 50% of the ocean floor area (on continental slopes, ridges, and the bottom of basins at depths up to 4700 m) in warm oceanic regions from 20° N. sh. up to 40°S sh. with high biological productivity of waters. Polygenic sediments - red deep ocean clays- occupy 25% of the bottom area at depths of more than 4700 m in the eastern and southeastern parts of the ocean from 10 ° N. sh. up to 40°S sh. and on bottom areas remote from islands and continents; in the tropics, red clays alternate with siliceous radiolarian silts that cover the bottom of deep-water basins of the equatorial belt. In deep-sea deposits in the form of inclusions there are ferromanganese nodules. Siliceous, predominantly diatomaceous, oozes occupy about 20% of the bottom of the I. o.; distributed at great depths south of 50 ° S. sh. The accumulation of terrigenous sediments (pebbles, gravel, sands, silts, clays) occurs mainly along the coasts of the continents and within their underwater margins in the areas of river and iceberg runoff, significant wind removal of material. Sediments covering the African shelf are mainly of shell and coral origin; phosphorite concretions are widely developed in the southern part. Along the northwestern periphery of the I. O., as well as in the Andaman Basin and in the Sunda Trench, bottom sediments are mainly represented by sediments of turbid (turbid) flows - turbidites with the participation of products of volcanic activity, underwater landslides, landslides, and others. Sediments of coral reefs are widespread in the western part of the I. o. from 20°S sh. up to 15° s. sh., and in the Red Sea - up to 30 ° N. sh. Exits discovered in the Rift Valley of the Red Sea metal-bearing brines with temperatures up to 70 °C and salinity up to 300‰. IN metaliferous sediments formed from these brines, a high content of non-ferrous and rare metals. On continental slopes, seamounts, mid-ocean ridges, outcrops of bedrocks (basalts, serpentinites, peridotites) are noted. Bottom sediments around Antarctica stand out as a special type of iceberg deposits. They are characterized by the predominance of various clastic material, ranging from large boulders to silts and fine silts.

Climate

Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which have a meridional strike from the coast of Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and communicate with the Arctic Ocean, I. o. in the northern tropical region, it is bordered by a land mass, which largely determines the characteristics of its climate. The uneven heating of the land and ocean leads to a seasonal change in extensive minima and maxima of atmospheric pressure and to seasonal displacements of the tropical atmospheric front, which retreats southward to almost 10 ° S in the Northern Hemisphere in winter. sh., and in summer it is located in the foothills of southern Asia. As a result, over the northern part of I. o. monsoon climate dominates, which is primarily characterized by a change in wind direction during the year. The winter monsoon with relatively weak (3–4 m/s) and stable northeasterly winds operates from November to March. During this period, north of 10 ° S. sh. often calm. The summer monsoon with southwesterly winds is observed from May to September. In the northern tropical region and in the equatorial zone of the ocean, the average wind speed reaches 8–9 m/s, often reaching storm strength. In April and October, the baric field is usually restructured, and in these months the wind situation is unstable. Against the background of the prevailing monsoonal atmospheric circulation over the northern part of I. o. individual manifestations of cyclonic activity are possible. During the winter monsoon, there are cases of cyclones developing over the Arabian Sea, during the summer monsoon - over the waters of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Strong cyclones in these areas are sometimes formed during the periods of monsoon change.

Approximately 30° S. sh. in the central part I. about. there is a stable area of ​​high pressure, the so-called. South Indian High. This stationary anticyclone, an integral part of the southern subtropical high pressure area, persists all year round. The pressure at its center varies from 1024 hPa in July to 1020 hPa in January. Under the influence of this anticyclone in the latitudinal band between 10 and 30 ° S. sh. steady southeast trade winds blow throughout the year.

South of 40°S sh. Atmospheric pressure in all seasons decreases uniformly from 1018–1016 hPa at the southern periphery of the South Indian High to 988 hPa at 60°S. sh. Under the influence of the meridional pressure gradient in the lower layer of the atmosphere, a stable reserve is maintained. air transfer. The highest average wind speed (up to 15 m/s) is observed in the middle of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. For higher southern latitudes, I. o. Throughout almost the entire year, storm conditions are typical, under which winds with speeds of more than 15 m/s, causing waves with a height of more than 5 m, have a frequency of 30%. South of 60°S sh. East winds and two or three cyclones per year are usually observed along the coast of Antarctica, most often in July - August.

In July, the highest values ​​of air temperature in the near layer of the atmosphere are observed at the top of the Persian Gulf (up to 34 °C), the lowest are off the coast of Antarctica (–20 °C), over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, on average 26–28 °C. Over the water area I. o. The air temperature almost everywhere varies according to the geographic latitude. In the southern part of I. o. it gradually decreases from north to south by about 1 °C for every 150 km. In January, the highest air temperatures (26–28 °C) are observed in the equatorial zone, near the northern coasts of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal - about 20 °C. In the southern part of the ocean, temperatures drop evenly from 26°C at the Tropic of the South to 0°C and slightly lower at the latitude of the Antarctic Circle. The amplitude of annual fluctuations in air temperature over b. hours of water area I. o. on average less than 10 °C and only off the coast of Antarctica increases to 16 °C.

The greatest amount of precipitation per year falls in the Bay of Bengal (over 5500 mm) and off the eastern coast of the island of Madagascar (over 3500 mm). The northern coastal part of the Arabian Sea receives the least amount of precipitation (100–200 mm per year).

Northeastern regions located in seismically active areas. The eastern coast of Africa and the islands of Madagascar, the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Hindustan Peninsula, almost all island archipelagos of volcanic origin, the western coasts of Australia, especially the arc of the Sunda Islands, in the past were repeatedly exposed to tsunami waves of various strengths, up to catastrophic ones. In 1883, after the explosion of the Krakatoa volcano, a tsunami with a wave height of over 30 m was recorded in the Jakarta region, in 2004 a tsunami caused by an earthquake in the region of the island of Sumatra had catastrophic consequences.

Hydrological regime

Seasonality in changes in hydrological characteristics (primarily temperature and currents) is most clearly manifested in the northern part of the ocean. The summer hydrological season here corresponds to the time of the southwest monsoon (May - September), the winter - the northeast monsoon (November - March). A feature of the seasonal variability of the hydrological regime is that the restructuring of the hydrological fields is somewhat late relative to the meteorological fields.

Water temperature. In the winter of the Northern Hemisphere, the highest water temperatures in the surface layer are observed in the equatorial zone - from 27 ° C off the coast of Africa to 29 ° C or more east of the Maldives. In the northern regions of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the water temperature is about 25 °C. In the southern part of I. o. Everywhere, a zonal distribution of temperature is characteristic, which gradually decreases from 27–28 ° C to 20 ° S. sh. to negative values ​​near the edge of drifting ice, located approximately at 65–67° S. sh. In the summer season, the highest water temperatures in the surface layer are observed in the Persian Gulf (up to 34 °C), in the northwest of the Arabian Sea (up to 30 °C), in the eastern part of the equatorial zone (up to 29 °C). In the coastal regions of the Somali and Arabian peninsulas, abnormally low values ​​\u200b\u200bare observed at this time of the year (sometimes less than 20 ° C), which is the result of the rise to the surface of cooled deep waters in the Somali Current system. In the southern part of I. o. The distribution of water temperature throughout the year retains a zonal character, with the difference that its negative values ​​in the winter of the Southern Hemisphere occur much further north, already at about 58–60 ° S. sh. The amplitude of annual fluctuations in water temperature in the surface layer is small and averages 2–5 °C, exceeding 7 °C only in the region of the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Oman of the Arabian Sea. The water temperature rapidly decreases vertically: at a depth of 250 m, it drops below 15 °C almost everywhere, and below 1000 m - below 5 °C. At a depth of 2000 m, temperatures above 3 °C are observed only in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, in the central regions - about 2.5 °C, in the southern part it decreases from 2 °C to 50 ° S. sh. to 0 °C off the coast of Antarctica. Temperatures in the deepest (over 5000 m) basins range from 1.25 °C to 0 °C.

Salinity of surface waters is determined by the balance between the amount of evaporation and the total amount of precipitation and river runoff for each area. The absolute maximum salinity (over 40‰) is observed in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, in the Arabian Sea everywhere, except for a small area in the southeastern part, the salinity is above 35.5‰, in the band 20–40 ° S. sh. – more than 35‰. The area of ​​low salinity is located in the Bay of Bengal and in the area adjacent to the arc of the Sunda Islands, where fresh river flow is large and the greatest amount of precipitation falls. In the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, salinity is 30–31‰ in February, and 20‰ in August. An extensive tongue of waters with a salinity of up to 34.5 ‰ at 10 ° S. sh. extends from the island of Java to 75°E. e. In Antarctic waters, salinity is everywhere below the average oceanic value: from 33.5‰ in February to 34.0‰ in August, its changes are determined by slight salinization during the formation of sea ice and the corresponding desalination during the period of ice melting. Seasonal changes in salinity are noticeable only in the upper 250-meter layer. With increasing depth, not only seasonal fluctuations, but also the spatial variability of salinity fade, deeper than 1000 m it fluctuates between 35–34.5‰.

Density The highest density of water in I. o. noted in the Suez and Persian Gulfs (up to 1030 kg / m 3) and in cold Antarctic waters (1027 kg / m 3), the average - in the warmest and most saline waters in the northwest (1024–1024.5 kg / m 3) , the smallest is near the most freshened waters in the northeastern part of the ocean and in the Bay of Bengal (1018–1022 kg/m3). With depth, mainly due to a decrease in water temperature, its density increases, sharply increasing in the so-called. shock layer, which is most pronounced in the equatorial zone of the ocean.

Ice regime. Severity of climate in the southern part of the I. o. is such that the process of sea ice formation (when the air temperature is below –7 °C) can occur almost all year round. The ice cover reaches its maximum development in September-October, when the width of the drifting ice belt reaches 550 km, and the smallest - in January-February. The ice cover is characterized by high seasonal variability and its formation is very fast. The ice edge moves to the north at a speed of 5–7 km/day, and retreats to the south just as quickly (up to 9 km/day) during the melting period. The fast ice is established annually, reaches an average width of 25–40 km, and melts almost completely by February. Drifting ice near the coasts of the mainland moves under the influence of katabatic winds in the general direction to the west and northwest. Near the northern edge, the ice drifts eastward. A characteristic feature of the Antarctic ice cover is a large number of icebergs breaking off from the outlet and ice shelves of Antarctica. Especially large are table-shaped icebergs, which can reach a gigantic length of several tens of meters, towering 40-50 meters above the water. Their number rapidly decreases with distance from the coast of the mainland. The duration of the existence of large icebergs is on average 6 years.

I flow. The circulation of surface waters in the northern part of the I. o. It is formed under the influence of monsoon winds and therefore changes significantly from summer to winter. In February, from 8 ° N. sh. off the Nicobar Islands to 2° N. sh. off the coast of Africa there is a surface winter monsoon current with speeds of 50–80 cm/s; with a shaft running approximately 18°S. sh., in the same direction spreads the South Equatorial Current, which has an average speed on the surface of about 30 cm / s. Connecting off the coast of Africa, the waters of these two streams give rise to the Inter-trade countercurrent, which carries its waters to the east with velocities in the core of about 25 cm/s. Along the North African coast with a general direction to the south, the waters of the Somali Current move, partially passing into the Intertrade countercurrent, and to the south, the Mozambique and Cape of the Needle Current, going south at speeds of about 50 cm/s. Part of the South Equatorial Current off the east coast of the island of Madagascar turns south along it (the Madagascar Current). South of 40°S sh. the entire water area of ​​the ocean is crossed from west to east by the flow of the longest and most powerful in the oceans West wind currents(Antarctic Circumpolar Current). The velocities in its rods reach 50 cm/s, and the flow rate is about 150 million m 3 /s. At 100–110° E e. a stream branches off from it, heading north and giving rise to the West Australian Current. In August, the Somali current follows in a general direction to the northeast and, at a speed of up to 150 cm / s, draws water into the northern part of the Arabian Sea, from where the Monsoon current, skirting the western and southern shores of the Hindustan peninsula and the island of Sri Lanka, carries water to the shores of the island Sumatra, turns south and merges with the waters of the South Trade Wind. Thus, in the northern part of I. o. an extensive circulation is created, directed clockwise, consisting of the Monsoon, South Equatorial and Somali currents. In the southern part of the ocean, from February to August, the pattern of currents changes little. Off the coast of Antarctica in a narrow coastal strip, a current is observed all year round, caused by katabatic winds and directed from east to west.

Water masses. In the vertical structure of water masses, I. o. according to hydrological characteristics and depth of occurrence, surface, intermediate, deep and bottom waters are distinguished. Surface waters are distributed in a relatively thin surface layer and, on average, occupy the upper 200–300 m. From north to south, water masses stand out in this layer: Persian and Arabian in the Arabian Sea, Bengal and South Bengal in the Bay of Bengal; further south of the equator - Equatorial, Tropical, Subtropical, Subantarctic and Antarctic. As the depth increases, the differences between neighboring water masses decrease and their number decreases accordingly. So, in intermediate waters, the lower limit of which reaches 2000 m in temperate and low latitudes and up to 1000 m in high latitudes, Persian and Red Sea in the Arabian Sea, Bengal in the Bay of Bengal, Subantarctic and Antarctic intermediate water masses are distinguished. Deep waters are represented by the North Indian, Atlantic (in the western part of the ocean), Central Indian (in the eastern part), and Circumpolar Antarctic water masses. Bottom water everywhere, except for the Bay of Bengal, is represented by one Antarctic bottom water mass, which fills all deep-water basins. The upper limit of bottom water is located on average at a horizon of 2500 m off the coast of Antarctica, where it forms, up to 4000 m in the central regions of the ocean and rises to almost 3000 m north of the equator.

Tides and waves e. The greatest distribution on the banks of I. o. have semidiurnal and irregular semidiurnal tides. Semi-diurnal tides are observed on the African coast south of the equator, in the Red Sea, off the northwestern shores of the Persian Gulf, in the Bay of Bengal, off the northwestern coast of Australia. Irregular semidiurnal tides - off the Somali Peninsula, in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of the Arabian Sea, in the Persian Gulf, off the southwestern coast of the Sunda Island Arc. Diurnal and irregular daily tides are observed off the western and southern coasts of Australia. The highest tides are off the northwestern coast of Australia (up to 11.4 m), in the mouth zone of the Indus (8.4 m), in the mouth zone of the Ganges (5.9 m), off the coast of the Mozambique Channel (5.2 m) ; in the open ocean, the magnitude of the tides varies from 0.4 m near the Maldives to 2.0 m in the southeastern part of India. The excitement reaches its greatest strength in temperate latitudes in the zone of action of westerly winds, where the frequency of waves with a height of over 6 m is 17% per year. Near Kerguelen Island, waves 15 m high and 250 m long were recorded, off the coast of Australia, 11 m and 400 m, respectively.

Flora and fauna

The main part of the water area I. o. located within the tropical and southern temperate zones. Absence in I. about. northern high-latitude region and the action of monsoons lead to two multidirectional processes that determine the characteristics of the local flora and fauna. The first factor hinders deep-sea convection, which negatively affects the renewal of deep waters in the northern part of the ocean and the increase in oxygen deficiency in them, which is especially pronounced in the Red Sea intermediate water mass, which leads to depletion of the species composition and reduces the total zooplankton biomass in the intermediate layers. When oxygen-poor waters in the Arabian Sea reach the shelf, local kills occur (death of hundreds of thousands of tons of fish). At the same time, the second factor (monsoons) creates favorable conditions for high biological productivity in coastal areas. Under the influence of the summer monsoon, water is driven off along the Somali and Arabian coasts, which causes a powerful upwelling that brings waters rich in nutrient salts to the surface. The winter monsoon, although to a lesser extent, leads to seasonal upwelling with similar effects off the western coast of the Hindustan Peninsula.

The coastal zone of the ocean is characterized by the greatest species diversity. The shallow waters of the tropical zone are characterized by numerous 6- and 8-ray stony corals, hydrocorals, which, together with red algae, can create underwater reefs and atolls. The richest fauna of various invertebrates (sponges, worms, crabs, mollusks, sea urchins, brittle stars and starfish), small but brightly colored fish of coral reefs live among the powerful coral structures. Most of the coasts are occupied by mangroves. At the same time, the fauna and flora of the beaches and rocks that dry out at low tide are quantitatively depleted due to the depressing effect of the sun's rays. In the temperate zone, life on such stretches of coasts is much richer; dense thickets of red and brown algae (kelp, fucus, macrocystis) develop here, various invertebrates are abundant. According to L.A. Zenkevich(1965), St. 99% of all species of bottom and bottom animals living in the ocean live in the littoral and subtidal zones.

Rich flora is also characteristic of open spaces of the I. lake, especially for the surface layer. The food chain in the ocean begins with microscopic unicellular plant organisms - phytoplankton, which inhabits mainly the uppermost (about 100-meter) layer of ocean waters. Among them, several species of peridinium and diatom algae predominate, and in the Arabian Sea - cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), which often cause the so-called mass development of the so-called. water bloom. In the northern part of I. o. There are three areas of the highest phytoplankton production: the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The highest production is observed off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, where the number of phytoplankton sometimes exceeds 1 million cells/l (cells per liter). Its high concentrations are also observed in the subantarctic and antarctic zones, where there are up to 300,000 cells/l during the spring flowering period. The smallest production of phytoplankton (less than 100 cells/l) is observed in the central part of the ocean between parallels 18 and 38°S. sh.

Zooplankton inhabits almost the entire thickness of oceanic waters, but its number rapidly decreases with increasing depth and decreases by 2–3 orders of magnitude towards the bottom layers. Food for b. phytoplankton serves as part of the zooplankton, especially those living in the upper layers, so the patterns of the spatial distribution of phyto- and zooplankton are largely similar. The highest rates of zooplankton biomass (from 100 to 200 mg/m 3) are observed in the Arabian and Andaman Seas, the Bengal, Aden and Persian Gulfs. Copepods (more than 100 species) make up the main biomass of the ocean's animals, with somewhat fewer pteropods, jellyfish, siphonophores, and other invertebrates. Of the unicellular, radiolarians are typical. In the Antarctic region, I. o. characterized by a huge number of euphausian crustaceans of several species, united under the name "krill". Euphausiids form the main food base for the largest animals on Earth - baleen whales. In addition, fish, seals, cephalopods, penguins and other bird species feed on krill.

Organisms that move freely in the marine environment (nekton) are represented in the I. o. mainly fish, cephalopods, cetaceans. From cephalopods to I. o. cuttlefish, numerous squids and octopuses are common. Of the fish, the most abundant are several species of flying fish, luminous anchovies (dollfish), sardinella, sardine, mackerel pike, notothenia, sea bass, several types of tuna, blue marlin, grenadier, sharks, rays. Sea turtles and poisonous sea snakes live in warm waters. The fauna of aquatic mammals is represented by various cetaceans. Of the baleen whales, the following are common: blue, sei whale, fin whale, humpback whale, Australian (Cape) whale. Toothed whales are represented by sperm whales, several species of dolphins (including killer whales). In the coastal waters of the southern part of the ocean, pinnipeds are widespread: the Weddell seal, the crabeater seal, the Australian, Tasmanian, Kerguelen and South African seals, the Australian sea lion, the sea leopard, etc. Among the birds, the most characteristic are the wandering albatross, petrels, a large frigate, phaetons , cormorants, gannets, skuas, terns, gulls. South of 35°S sh., on the coasts of South Africa, Antarctica and the islands - numerous. colonies of several species of penguins.

In 1938, in I. o. a unique biological phenomenon was discovered - a living lobe-finned fish Latimeria chalumnae, considered extinct tens of millions of years ago. "Fossil" coelacanth lives at a depth of more than 200 m in two places - near the Comoros and in the waters of the Indonesian archipelago.

Research history

The northern coastal regions, especially the Red Sea and deeply indented bays, began to be used by man for navigation and fishing already in the era of ancient civilizations, several thousand years BC. e. For 600 years BC. e. Phoenician navigators, who were in the service of the Egyptian pharaoh Necho II, sailed around Africa. In 325-324 BC. e. comrade-in-arms of Alexander the Great, Nearchus, commanding the fleet, sailed from India to Mesopotamia and compiled the first descriptions of the coast from the mouth of the Indus River to the top of the Persian Gulf. In the 8th–9th centuries The Arabian Sea was intensively mastered by Arab navigators, who created the first sailing directions and navigational guides for this area. In the 1st floor. 15th c. Chinese navigators led by Admiral Zheng He made a series of voyages along the Asian coast to the west, reaching the coast of Africa. In 1497–99 the Portuguese Vasco da Gama paved the sea route for Europeans to India and to the countries of Southeast Asia. A few years later, the Portuguese discovered the islands of Madagascar, the Amirante, Comoros, Mascarene and Seychelles. Following the Portuguese in I. o. infiltrated by the Dutch, French, Spanish and British. The name "Indian Ocean" first appeared on European maps in 1555. In 1772–75 J. Cook got into I. about. to 71 ° 10 "S and carried out the first deep-sea measurements. The beginning of oceanographic research of the I. O. was laid by systematic measurements of water temperature during the round-the-world voyages of the Russian ships Rurik (1815–18) and Enterprise (1823–26) In 1831–36, an English expedition took place on the ship Beagle, on which Charles Darwin carried out geological and biological work. in the northern part of the oceanographic survey was carried out by S. O. Makarov aboard the ship Vityaz in 1886. In the first half of the 20th century, oceanographic observations began to be carried out regularly, and by the 1950s they were carried out on nearly 1,500 deep-sea oceanographic P. G. Schott’s monograph Geography of the Indian and Pacific Oceans was published in 1935, the first major publication summarizing the results of all previous studies in this region. In 1959, the Russian oceanographer A. M. Muromtsev published a fundamental Hydrology of the Indian Ocean. In 1960–65, the Scientific Committee on Oceanography of UNESCO conducted the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE), the largest expedition that had previously worked in the Indian Ocean. Scientists from more than 20 countries of the world (USSR, Australia, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Portugal, USA, France, Germany, Japan, etc.) took part in the MIOE program. During the MIOE, major geographical discoveries were made: the underwater West Indian and East Indian ridges were discovered; etc., deep trenches - the Ob, Chagos, Vima, Vityaz, etc. In the history of the study of I. o. the results of studies carried out in 1959–77 AD are especially highlighted. vessel "Vityaz" (10 voyages) and dozens of other Soviet expeditions on the ships of the Hydrometeorological Service and the State Committee for Fisheries. From the beginning 1980s ocean research was carried out within the framework of 20 international projects. Researches And. about. during the International Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE). After its successful completion in con. 1990s the volume of modern oceanographic information according to I. o. doubled.

Modern researches I. about. are carried out within the framework of international programs and projects, such as the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (since 1986, 77 countries participate), including the projects Dynamics of Global Ocean Ecosystems (GLOBES, 1995–2010), Global Flows of Matter in the Ocean ( JGOFS, 1988–2003), Land–Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ), Integral Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER), Land–Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ, 1993–2015), Ocean Surface Interaction with lower atmosphere (SOLAS, 2004–15, ongoing); "World Climate Research Program" (WCRP, since 1980, 50 countries participate), the main marine part of which is the program "Climate and Ocean: Unsteadiness, Predictability and Variability" (CLIVAR, since 1995), which was based on the results of TOGA and WOCE; International Study of Biogeochemical Cycles and Large Scale Distribution of Trace Elements and Their Isotopes in the Marine Environment (GEOTRACES, 2006–15, ongoing) and more. etc. The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) is being developed. Since 2005, the international ARGO program has been operating, in which observations are carried out by autonomous sounding instruments throughout the World Ocean (including IO), and the results are transmitted via artificial Earth satellites to data centers. From con. 2015 begins the 2nd International Indian Ocean Expedition, designed for 5 years of research with the participation of many countries.

Economic use

Coastal zone I. o. has an exceptionally high population density. More than 35 states are located on the coasts and islands, in which about 2.5 billion people live. (over 30% of the world's population). The bulk of the coastal population is concentrated in South Asia (more than 10 cities with a population of over 1 million people). In most countries of the region, the problems of gaining living space, creating jobs, providing food, clothing and housing, and medical care are acute.

The use of the sea, as well as other seas and oceans, is carried out in several main areas: transport, fishing, extraction of mineral resources, and recreation.

Transport

Role I. o. in sea transportation increased significantly with the creation of the Suez Canal (1869), which opened a short sea route of communication with the states washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. is an area of ​​transit and export of all kinds of raw materials, in which almost all major seaports are of international importance. In the northeastern part of the ocean (in the Straits of Malacca and Sunda) there are routes for ships going to the Pacific Ocean and back. The main export item to the US, Japan and Western Europe is crude oil from the Persian Gulf region. In addition, agricultural products are exported - natural rubber, cotton, coffee, tea, tobacco, fruits, nuts, rice, wool; wood; miner. raw materials - coal, iron ore, nickel, manganese, antimony, bauxite, etc.; machinery, equipment, tools and hardware, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, textiles, cut gems and jewellery. To the share of I. o. accounts for about 10% of the world shipping turnover, in con. 20th century about 0.5 billion tons of cargo per year was transported through its waters (according to IOC data). According to these indicators, it ranks third after the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, yielding to them in terms of the intensity of shipping and total volumes of cargo transportation, but surpassing all other sea transport communications in terms of oil transportation. The main transport routes passing through the I. O. are directed to the Suez Canal, the Strait of Malacca, the southern extremities of Africa and Australia, and along the northern coast. Shipping is most intensive in the northern regions, although it is limited by storm conditions during the summer monsoon, less intensive in the central and southern regions. The growth in oil production in the countries of the Persian Gulf, in Australia, Indonesia, and other places contributed to the construction and modernization of oil loading ports and the appearance in the waters of the I. O. giant tankers. The most developed transport routes for the transportation of oil, gas and oil products: the Persian Gulf - the Red Sea - the Suez Canal - the Atlantic Ocean; Persian Gulf - Strait of Malacca - Pacific Ocean; the Persian Gulf - the southern tip of Africa - the Atlantic Ocean (especially before the reconstruction of the Suez Canal, 1981); The Persian Gulf - the coast of Australia (the port of Fremantle). Mineral and agricultural raw materials, textiles, precious stones, jewelry, equipment, computer equipment are transported from India, Indonesia, and Thailand. Australia transports coal, gold, aluminium, alumina, iron ore, diamonds, uranium ores and concentrates, manganese, lead, zinc; wool, wheat, meat products, as well as internal combustion engines, cars, electrical products, river boats, glass products, rolled steel, etc. Industrial goods, automobiles, electronic equipment, and others predominate in oncoming flows. engaged in the transport of passengers.

Fishing

Compared with other oceans, I. o. has a relatively low biological productivity, the production of fish and other seafood is 5-7% of the total world catch. The catch of fish and non-fish objects is concentrated mainly in the northern part of the ocean, and in the west it is twice as large as the catch in the eastern part. The largest production volumes of bioproducts are observed in the Arabian Sea off the western coast of India and off the coast of Pakistan. Shrimps are harvested in the Persian and Bengal bays, lobsters are harvested off the east coast of Africa and on tropical islands. In the open areas of the ocean in the tropical zone, tuna fishing is widely developed, which is carried out by countries with a well-developed fishing fleet. In the Antarctic region, nototheniids, ice fish and krill are mined.

Mineral resources

Practically throughout the entire shelf region of I. o. deposits of oil and natural combustible gas or oil and gas shows have been identified. Actively developed oil and gas fields in the Persian Gulf ( Persian Gulf oil and gas basin), Suez (Gulf of Suez oil and gas basin), Cambay ( Cambay oil and gas basin), Bengali ( Bengal oil and gas basin); off the northern coast of the island of Sumatra (North Sumatra oil and gas basin), in the Timor Sea, off the northwestern coast of Australia (gas-bearing Carnarvon basin), in the Bass Strait (gas-bearing Gippsland basin). Gas deposits have been explored in the Andaman Sea, oil and gas bearing areas - in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, along the coast of Africa. Coastal-marine placers of heavy sands are mined off the coast of the island of Mozambique, along the southwestern and northeastern coasts of India, off the northeastern coast of the island of Sri Lanka, along the southwestern coast of Australia (mining of ilmenite, rutile, monazite and zircon); in the coastal regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand (cassiterite mining). On the shelves I. o. found industrial accumulations of phosphorites. Large fields of ferromanganese nodules, a promising source of Mn, Ni, Cu, and Co, have been established on the ocean floor. In the Red Sea, metal-bearing brines and sediments have been identified as potential sources for the extraction of iron, manganese, copper, zinc, nickel, etc.; there are deposits of rock salt. In the coastal zone I. o. sand is mined for construction and glass production, gravel, limestone.

Recreational resources

From the 2nd floor. 20th century The use of recreational resources of the ocean is of great importance for the economies of coastal countries. Old resorts are being developed and new ones are being built on the coast of the continents and on numerous tropical islands in the ocean. The most visited resorts are in Thailand (Phuket and others) - over 13 million people. per year (together with the coast and islands of the Gulf of Thailand of the Pacific Ocean), in Egypt [Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh (Sharm el-Sheikh), etc.] - over 7 million people, in Indonesia (the islands of Bali, Bintan , Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java, etc.) - over 5 million people, in India (Goa, etc.), in Jordan (Aqaba), in Israel (Eilat), in the Maldives, in Sri Lanka, in the Seychelles islands, on the islands of Mauritius, Madagascar, in South Africa, etc.

Port cities

On the banks of I. o. specialized oil loading ports are located: Ras-Tannura (Saudi Arabia), Kharq (Iran), Ash-Shuaiba (Kuwait). The largest ports of the sea: Port Elizabeth, Durban (South Africa), Mombasa (Kenya), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Mogadishu (Somalia), Aden (Yemen), El Kuwait (Kuwait), Karachi (Pakistan) ), Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Kandla (India), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Yangon (Myanmar), Fremantle, Adelaide and Melbourne (Australia).

Position of the Indian Ocean
Or where is the Indian Ocean

First of all, the Indian Ocean is the youngest on Earth. It is located mainly in the Southern Hemisphere. Four continents surround it. In the north - the Asian part of Eurasia, in the west Africa, in the east Australia and Antarctica in the south. Along the line from Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa, and along the twentieth meridian to Antarctica, its waves merge with the Atlantic. The Indian Ocean borders the Pacific Ocean in the north from the western coast of the Malay Peninsula to the northern point of the island of Sumatra and further along the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sumba, Timor and New Guinea. There was a lot of controversy among geographers about the eastern border. But now it seems that everyone has agreed to count it from Cape York in Australia, through the Torres Strait, New Guinea and further northeast through the Lesser Sunda Islands to the islands of Java, Sumatra and the city of Singapore. Between the islands of New Guinea and Australia, its border runs along the Torres Strait. In the south, the ocean boundary runs from Australia to the western coast of Tasmania and further along the meridian to Antarctica. Thus, when viewed from space, The Indian Ocean is shaped like a triangle…

What is the area of ​​the Indian Ocean?

The Indian Ocean is the third largest after the Pacific and Atlantic (), its area is 74,917 thousand square kilometers.

Seas of the Indian Ocean

The shores of the bordering continents are slightly indented, therefore there are very few seas in it - in the north it is the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, and in the east - the Timor and Arafura Seas.

Depth of the Indian Ocean

At the bottom of the Indian Ocean, in its central part, there are several deep-water basins separated by underwater ridges and underwater plateaus, and along the Sunda island arc there is deep water Sunda Trench. In it, oceanologists found the deepest hole on the ocean floor - 7130 meters from the surface of the water. The average depth of the ocean is 3897 meters. The largest islands in the Indian Ocean are Madagascar, Socotra and Sri Lanka. All of them are fragments of ancient continents. In the central part of the ocean there are groups of small volcanic islands, and in tropical latitudes there are quite a lot of coral islands.

Temperature of the Indian Ocean

The water in the Indian Ocean is warm. In June - August, closer to the equator, its temperature, as in a bath, is 27-28 ° C (and there are places where the thermometer shows 29 ° C). And only off the coast of Africa, where the cold Somali current passes, the water is colder - 22-23 ° С. But from the equator south to the Antarctic, the temperature of the water in the ocean changes to 26 and even 28 ° C. From the north, it is limited by the shores of the Eurasian continent. From the south - a conditional line connecting the tips of South Africa and Australia. West is Africa.

But why is the Indian Ocean considered the youngest? The geographical map clearly shows how its basin is surrounded by continental landmasses. In the not so distant geological past of our planet, these areas were most likely connected into a single mainland Gondwana, which split, and its parts spread out in different directions, making room for water.

At the bottom of the Indian Ocean, scientists have discovered several underwater mountain ranges. And The Central Indian Range divides the ocean basin into two regions. with completely different types of earth's crust. Deep cracks adjoin the seamounts. Such proximity inevitably causes frequent earthquakes in these areas, or rather, seaquakes. As a result, tsunamis are born, which bring incalculable troubles to island and coastal mainland residents.

Submarine volcanoes in these restless regions eject so much material from the bowels that new islands appear from time to time. Many coral reefs and atolls are found in the local warm waters. Driving ships in the Indian Ocean is not easy. During stormy periods, in some of its areas, huge waves as high as a five-story building were recorded! .. Giant catastrophic tsunami waves are not such a rare exotic for the inhabitants of the Indian Ocean basin.

The Indian Ocean is the very ocean, the depths of which hold many mysteries and secrets. Although Indonesia is washed by two oceans - the Pacific and Indian, only the second applies to Bali. It is the Indian Ocean that owns the surf spots of the island. Since “you need to know your heroes by sight”, we have collected as many facts about this ocean as possible, some of them are amazing.

General information

The area of ​​the Indian Ocean is approximately one-fifth of the total area of ​​​​our planet, washes at once 4 parts of the world out of 6 possible: Australia, Africa, Asia and even Antarctica. The ocean covers 57 groups of islands, 16 countries in Africa and 18 in Asia. It is the youngest and warmest ocean in the world.
During the period of great discoveries in the 1500s, the Indian Ocean gained status as one of the most important transportation routes. First of all, this was due to the desire of Europeans to gain access to India, where jewelry, rice, cotton, chic fabrics and much more were actively purchased. It is the Indian Ocean that connects the largest number of the most important ports in the world. By the way, it is in the Indian Ocean that about 40% of the world's oil is located. In second place is the production of natural gas (according to research, the reserves are about 2.3 trillion cubic meters).

Indian Ocean and surfing

The most popular destinations are:

Indonesia. Surfing began about 80 years ago when American photographer Robert Coke decided to found the Kuta Beach hotel. During the events associated with the Second World War and the Indonesian struggle for independence, surfing was forgotten. But insatiable for home spots, Australians revived surfing in the 1960s. The countless number of islands led by Bali have made Indonesia the most popular country in Asia for surfing. Sumatra (pictured above), Sumbawa, Java, Mentwai, Lombok, Nias, Timor - this is just a small part of the places where your vacation will definitely not be “beach”.

Sri Lanka. Surfers sailed here only in 1970. Unfortunately, happiness did not last long, as a civil war broke out in 1983. After some time, when peace reigned, the waves again began to delight surfers. But in 2006, the island was literally destroyed by a tsunami that claimed the lives of about 200,000 people. Restoration work is still going on, but tourism and surfing are returning and gaining momentum. Of course, there are much fewer surf spots than even in Bali - there are about 3 main surf spots here.

India. History is silent about who and when decided to catch their first wave. Although many associate India only with cows, yoga and endless meditations, surfing has a place to be. There are about 20 surf spots in the south, but getting to the waves is not so easy. Since surfing in India is not yet so popular, and the local population speaks little or no English, especially if you are not in Delhi or Mumbai, then get ready for a great language barrier.

Maldives. This place is perfect not only for a honeymoon, but also for surfing. The Australians discovered this in the 70s, crossing the Indian Ocean on a merchant ship towards Male. When one of them was forced to return to his homeland, he told his friends about this fabulous place, which served as a real surf boom. Enterprising Australians immediately began to organize trips. From April to October, when the waves will delight even an avid perfectionist, two days on the road will not stop a real surfer.

Mauritius. It was opened at the end of the last century. The real buzz is concentrated in the south of the island. Remarkably, on the same spot at the same time you can meet windsurfers, kitesurfers, and us ordinary surfers. Therefore, the spots are a bit congested with such a variety. It is also worth noting that Mauritius is included in the segment of luxury resorts, however, like the Maldives, so the option of a hippie vacation or a budget surf trip is unlikely.

Reunion. Small island, former colony of France. The best spots are located on the west coast of the island. It is very attractive for surfers, even despite the fact that the probability of a shark attack there is incredibly high (this year, the 19th case has already been recorded with, alas, a sad outcome).

• In the Indian Ocean, the so-called “Milky Sea” is found - blue water with a radiant whitish tint. The reason for this is the bacterium Vibrio Harveyi, which seeks to get into the most favorable habitat for itself - the intestines of other inhabitants of the ocean. To achieve the goal, this creature takes on just such a “milky” color.
• The blue-ringed octopus is perhaps the most dangerous inhabitant of the Indian Ocean. The size of a palm, a baby octopus is capable of killing up to 10 people with its poison at a time. It should be noted right away that in the water it does not pose a danger, but if it is thrown out of its natural habitat, then this creature shows remarkable aggression. The poison paralyzes the muscular and respiratory systems, as a result of which the person begins to suffocate. It is worth noting that the predominant habitat of this little killer, of course, is in Australia.
• The Indian Ocean is rich not only in surf spots, but also in unsolvable mysteries. It was in these waters that a merchant ship or a ship was found more than once without a single damage, but completely empty. Where the people disappeared remains a mystery to this day.

And finally, here is a beautiful shot from the surf spot Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia

Geographical position

Indian Ocean ranks third in terms of area and volume of water. It occupies 1/5 of the area of ​​the World Ocean and 1/7 of the planet's surface (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Indian Ocean on the map.

Square Indian Ocean - 76.17 million km 2. Unlike the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, it has a small number of seas, only 5. Temperature the surface water layer is +17 °С, and the salinity is 36.5 ‰. The saltiest part of the Indian Ocean is the Red Sea, with a salinity of 41‰. Relief The Indian Ocean is unique: at the bottom of the ocean there are 10 main basins, 11 underwater ridges and 1 trench with a depth of more than 6 thousand meters.

Medium depth Indian Ocean - 3711 m, and the maximum - 7729 m. The coastline of the Indian Ocean is very slightly indented. Remember the location of the Indian Ocean objects: the Red Sea (Fig. 3), the Gulf of Aden, the Persian Gulf (Fig. 2), the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the Greater Sunda Islands and the Mozambique Strait.

The most characteristic geographical feature of the Indian Ocean is that 84% of its area is located in the Southern Hemisphere, and there is no direct connection with the Arctic Ocean.

Rice. 2. Persian Gulf

Rice. 3. Red Sea

According to modern data, the meridian of 20 ° E serves as the western boundary of the Indian Ocean. on the segment between Antarctica and Cape Agulhas in southern Africa. In the northeast, its border runs along the shores of Asia to the Strait of Malacca along the islands of Sumatra, Java, Timor, and New Guinea. Further east across the Torres Strait along the western coast of Australia and the island of Tasmania. Further along 147 ° E. to Antarctica. The southern boundary of the ocean is the coast of Antarctica from 20° E. d. to 147 ° in. e. The northern border is the southern coast of Eurasia.

History of ocean exploration

The shores of the Indian Ocean are one of the areas of ancient civilizations. The development of the ocean began from the north by Indian, Egyptian and Phoenician navigators, who for 3 thousand years BC. e. sailed the Arabian and Red Seas and the Persian Gulf. The first descriptions of sailing routes in the Indian Ocean were made by the Arabs. For European geographical science, information about the ocean began to accumulate from the time of voyages Vasco da Gama(1497–1499) (Fig. 4), who, having rounded Africa, reached India.

In 1642–1643 Abel Tasman(Fig. 5) first passed from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific along the southern coast of Australia.

At the end of the 18th century, the first depth measurements were made here James Cook(Fig. 6).

A comprehensive and systematic study of the ocean began at the end of the 19th century with a round-the-world voyage of an English expedition on board the Challenger ship (Fig. 7).

However, by the middle of the 20th century, the Indian Ocean had been studied very poorly. In the 50s. the Soviet expedition began work on the ship "Ob" (Fig. 8).

Today, the Indian Ocean is being studied by dozens of expeditions from different countries.

Lithospheric plates

At the bottom of the Indian Ocean there is a boundary of three lithospheric plates at once: African, Indo-Australian and Antarctic (Fig. 9). In the depression of the earth's crust, occupied by the waters of the Indian Ocean, all the major structural reliefs of the ocean floor are well expressed: the shelf (it accounts for more than 4% of the total ocean area), the continental slope, the ocean floor (oceanic plains and basins, 56% of the total area ocean), mid-ocean ridges (17%), mountain ranges and underwater plateaus, deep-water trench.

Rice. 9. Lithospheric plates on the map

Mid-ocean ridges divide the ocean floor into three large parts. The transition from the ocean beds to the continents is smooth, only in the northeastern part an arc of the Sunda Islands is formed, under which the Indo-Australian lithospheric plate is submerged. In this place, a deep-water trench 4 thousand km long is formed. The deep Sunda Trench, like the underwater ridges, is a zone of active underwater volcanism and earthquakes.

Geological history of the ocean

depression The Indian Ocean is very young. It was formed about 150 million years ago as a result of the collapse of Gondwana and the pushing away from each other of Africa, Australia, Antarctica and Hindustan. Close to modern outlines, the Indian Ocean acquired about 25 million years ago. Now the ocean is located within three lithospheric plates: African, Indo-Australian and Antarctic.

Climate

The Indian Ocean is located in the tropical and subequatorial zones of the Northern Hemisphere, as well as in all climatic zones of the Southern Hemisphere. It is the warmest ocean in terms of surface water temperatures. Temperature The Indian Ocean depends on the geographical latitude: the northern part of the ocean is warmer than the southern. Monsoons also form in the northern Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean washes the shores of the largest continent - Eurasia. Their interaction determines the features of surface currents and atmospheric circulation over the northern part of the ocean and the southern coast of Asia. In winter, an area of ​​high atmospheric pressure forms over South Asia, and an area of ​​low pressure forms over the ocean. Thus, a wind is formed - the northeast monsoon. In summer, on the contrary, the southwest monsoon is formed.

Sailors have long known the changing nature of the winds and currents of the northern Indian Ocean and skillfully used it while sailing on sailing ships. Translated from Arabic, "monsoon" means "season", and "breeze" in French means "light wind". Small sailing ships in the northern Indian Ocean are still in use today.

Tsunami

Underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean December 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami that has been recognized as the deadliest natural disaster in modern history. The magnitude of the earthquake, according to various sources, ranged from 9.1 to 9.3 points. This is the second or third strongest earthquake on record. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Indian Ocean to the north of Simeulue Island, located near the northwestern coast of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). The tsunami reached the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India, Thailand and other countries. The height of the waves exceeded 15 meters. The tsunami led to huge destruction and a huge number of dead people even in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6,900 km from the epicenter (Fig. 10).

Rice. 10. After the earthquake, December 2004

Died, according to various estimates, from 225 to 300 thousand people. The true death toll is unlikely to ever be known, as many people were swept into the sea by the water.

Flora and fauna

Flora and fauna The Indian Ocean is quite rich. In the shallow waters of the tropical zone, corals grow, which, with red and green algae, create islands. Among the coral islands, the most famous Maldives(Fig. 11). These sturdy coral structures are home to many species of invertebrates such as crabs, sea urchins, sponges, and coral fish. Huge areas of dense thickets of brown algae are common here. In the open ocean, most of them are planktonic algae, and the Arabian Sea is characterized by blue-green algae, which constantly cause water blooms.

Rice. 11. Maldives

The fauna of the ocean is also rich. For example, among the animal waters of the Indian Ocean, crustaceans are the most common - copepods, and siphonophores And jellyfish. Squids, some species of flying fish, white shark, sailfish, poisonous sea snake, whales, turtles, seals live in the ocean (Fig. 12). The most common birds are frigatebirds and albatrosses.

Rice. 12. The underwater world of the Indian Ocean

The flora and fauna of the Indian Ocean is very diverse and interesting, as animals and plants live in a place favorable for development. This is a flower garden for nature lovers, ecologists and tourists. Oil and natural gas are produced on the shelf of the Indian Ocean. The world's most famous oil production site is the Persian Gulf. The Indian Ocean is considered to be the most oil polluted compared to other oceans. Also in the Indian Ocean there are many shipping routes, there are large port cities and various places of recreation and tourism: Karachi, Dar es Salaam, Maputo, Mumbai, etc.

Bibliography

1. Geography. Earth and people. Grade 7: Textbook for general education. uch. / A.P. Kuznetsov, L.E. Savelyeva, V.P. Dronov, "Spheres" series. – M.: Enlightenment, 2011.

2. Geography. Earth and people. Grade 7: atlas, series "Spheres".

1. Internet portal "Complete Encyclopedia" ()

2. Internet portal "Geography" ()

3. Internet portal "All about sharks" ()