The importance of the Indian Ocean
The sea lanes within the Indian Ocean have always been important for trade. They connect the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Many European countries throughout history have wanted to have control over the trade routes in the Indian Ocean but Britain was the most successful.
In the past, one of the biggest trades was silk. Today it is oil. Around 40% of the world’s offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean.
To make trade easier, the Suez Canal was built in 1869 to connect the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
How old is the Indian Ocean?
The Indian Ocean formed around 156 million years ago when Africa separated from the supercontinent, Gondwana.
The Indian Ocean is one of the youngest of the 5 major oceans.
Who was the first to cross the Indian Ocean?
In the 2nd or 1st century BCE, Eudoxus of Cyzicus was the first Greek to cross the Indian Ocean.
Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama became the first European in 1497 to sail to India and later to the Far East.
The Ninety East Ridge
The Indian Ocean is divided into east and west by a 3,100 mile (5,000km) mountain range, named the Ninety East Ridge.
Fun facts about the Indian Ocean
- Submerged in the Indian Ocean lies a microcontinent called the Kerguelen Plateau. It’s nearly three times the size of Japan.
- In 2016, researchers identified six new animal species beneath the Indian Ocean: a Hoff crab, a giant peltospirid snail, a whelk-like snail, limpet, a scale worm and a polychaete worm.
- Due to the melting of polar caps, the Indian Ocean grows wider by approximately 20cm every year.
- Monsoons (seasonal shifts in wind directions) commonly occur in the Indian Ocean, producing large amounts of rain.
- The Indian Ocean receives runoff from some of the world’s fastest flowing rivers, including the Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra rivers.
- In 2004, a tsunami in the Indian Ocean killed approximately 200,000 people. It was one of the most disastrous natural incidents in the world.
