21 Indian Ocean Facts You Need to Know! (Printables)

The Indian Ocean, with its shimmering waves and vibrant marine life, is a natural wonder. As the third-largest ocean, it holds many secrets and has fascinated people for centuries.

Picture the warm, turquoise waters lapping against sandy shores, full of diverse marine species and bustling with life above and below the surface.

This ocean is more than just a beautiful sight; it’s vital to our planet’s ecosystem. The Indian Ocean affects weather patterns, supports rich biodiversity, and provides resources for millions of people.

From the coral reefs of the Maldives to the deep-sea trenches, every part of this ocean is full of interesting facts and stories.

Let’s explore the amazing world of the Indian Ocean Facts and discover what makes it so special.

Some Amazing Facts About The Indian Ocean are Below:

The Indian Ocean Has Gulfs, Bays, And Chokepoints.

The Indian Ocean has vital chokepoints, such as the Bab el Mandeb, Malacca Strait, Hormuz, Lombok Strait, and southern access to the Suez Canal.

The Persian Gulf and the Red Sea lie toward the northern part of the Indian Ocean. To its northwest parties, the Arabian Sea and the Andaman Sea lie to its northeast part.

The well-known Gulfs of Aden and Oman are located to the northwest, whereas the Bay of Bengal is to the northeast. Also, the great Australian Bight is located off the southern Australian Coast.

The Indian Ocean Is the Third-Largest Ocean.

The Indian Ocean is actually the third-biggest of the world’s five oceans. It spans more than 6,200 miles between Australia and the southern end of Africa. 

This ocean covers 70,560,000m square kilometers or 27,2400 square miles, or 19.8% of the water on the Earth’s surface.

The average depth of this ocean is 12,274 feet or 3741 meters. The deepest point lies in the Sunda Deep of the Java Trench, located off the southern coast of Indonesia or Java, and is 7450 meters or 24442 feet below water.

It is mainly connected to the Atlantic Ocean and even mingles with the Pacific Ocean from the southeast.

Indian Ocean Covers Our Earth’s Surface’s 20%

Though this ocean doesn’t look huge, it is actually huge. It covers almost 20% of the Earth’s surface; hence, the Indian Ocean greatly contributes to the world’s water load. This ocean has an average depth of 3890 meters and a volume of 292,131,000 cubic kilometers.

It Is A Crucial Geographic Entity.

The Indian Ocean differs from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in different respects. It has very few islands and narrow continental shelves. It is the only ocean in the world with asymmetric and semi-annually reversing surface circulations.

The most accepted border of this ocean is with the Atlantic Ocean, running from Cape Agulhas, from Africa’s southern tips, and even further southward.

Limited Marine Life Because Of High Water

Another amazing fact about the Indian Ocean is that its higher water temperature limits marine animal life. It is the warmest ocean in the world and provides little scope for plankton and various other species to grow.

Tuna and shrimp are abundant in the Indian Ocean, where they are also caught and exported to European nations.

These marine animals are threatened by illegal fishing. At the same time, various other illicit activities, such as maritime piracy, human trafficking, drug smuggling.

The Indian Ocean Is Mainly The Warmest And Saltiest Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world, with temperatures ranging from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 

It is also the saltiest ocean, with an average salinity of about 37 parts per thousand. Hence, there is little sea plankton.

It Is Important For World Geopolitics

A country that has a secured position in the Indian Ocean would be viable for other littoral nations located on the coastline of the Indian Ocean, like the countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. After the end of World War II, countries focused on internal security and economic issues.

The island countries grouped into subregions while diving into the Western Indian Ocean and the Eastern Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is a strategic water body.

The Indian Ocean Has A Unique Climate.

The Indian Ocean has a unique monsoon climate, with strong seasonal winds that bring rainy and dry seasons to the region.

The monsoon winds also help to distribute moisture and heat throughout the Indian Ocean, influencing the weather and climate patterns of nearby landmasses.

Formation Of The Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is believed to have formed about 50 million years ago when the supercontinent Gondwana broke apart.

The Indian Ocean Has Unique Physical And Chemical Properties

This ocean has a unique balance of different special properties. As mentioned earlier, the water of the Indian Ocean has the highest concentration of floating and dissolved hydrocarbons.

It also has a maximum negative water balance and is the only single water source with the lowest and highest salinity levels.

The Indian Ocean Has The Lowest Oxygen Content

The water in the Indian Ocean carries one of the lowest oxygen content in the world. Thus, this water has a greater evaporation rate in this Ocean than its precipitation influx. This makes life growth in the Indian Ocean really unique.

The Indian Ocean Has Some Tectonic Plate Boundaries

The Indian Ocean basin was formed when the supercontinent Gondwanaland broke up around 180 million years ago. The Indian subcontinent started moving northward 125 million years ago, much closer to Eurasia.

Around 53 million years ago, Africa moved towards the west, and Australia separated from Antarctica.

The Indian Ocean took its present shape around 36 million years ago. It opened almost 140 million years ago, but its basin is just 80 million years old.

It Has 6000 Km Of River Run.

This Ocean gets almost 6000 km of river runoff from different parts. Those parts include the Brahmaputra and the Ganges, which are two of the largest rivers. As the Indian Ocean’s location is close to the equator, the evaporation rate remains very high here.

Indian Ocean Has Many Oil Deposits

The Indian Ocean has made a significant contribution to world trade. Besides mineral deposits and navigation routes, this water body also has many oil deposits. Those oil deposits comprise nearly 40 percent of the world’s total production.

The Indian Ocean Has Some of The World’s Most Important Ports

The Indian Ocean has some of the world’s most important ports, which belong to different continents. Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata are some of the major Indian ports in this Ocean.

At the same time, Richards Bay and Durban in South Africa, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Melbourne in Australia, and Jakarta in Indonesia are the other major ports in this ocean.

The Indian Ocean Has A Submerged Continent.

Another amazing fact about the Indian Ocean is that a submerged continent has been discovered there. That continent is known as the Kerguelen Plateau. It is believed to have volcanic origins. 

The Indian Ocean is crucial in shaping the history of our world through trade relations between ancient civilizations developed on its coasts.

The oldest civilizations in the world, such as the ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Indus Valley civilizations, flourished around this amazing ocean known as the Indian Ocean.

In the later years, power blocs fought a lot to control it during the Second World War.

The Deepest Part Of The Indian Ocean

The lowest point in the Indian Ocean is the Java Trench, which is almost b23812 ft. or 7258 meters deep. The average depth is almost 12762ft. or 3890 meters.

The Indian Ocean Has Seamounts

The Indian Ocean is full of seamounts, which are mainly extinct submarine volcanos located mainly near Seychelles.

The Indian Ocean Has A Lost Continent

In recent years, many scientists have located the remnants of a specific continent in the Indian Ocean. They have named that undiscovered landmass “Mauritia.”

The Indian Ocean Faces High Levels of Pollution

Various high-level economic activities, including oil exploration, result in significant pollution of the Indian Ocean every year.  In addition, ship movements and oil spills add to the pollution level of this ocean. 

The Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea are the most polluted areas of the Indian Ocean.

It Has The Fewest Marginal Seas

The Indian Ocean has fewer marginal seas than other notable oceans. The important ones include the Great Australian Bight, the Arabian Sea, the Andaman Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf.

At the end of this article, we learned 21 amazing facts about the Indian Ocean. These facts offer a clear picture of this significant ocean. To know more, visit our website.