World Factbook
XO
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
note
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies
total
70.56 million sq km
Climate
northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean
Location
body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia
Coastline
66,526 km
Elevation
mean depth
-3,741 m
ocean zones
the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m euphotic zone : the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth dysphotic zone : between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible aphotic zone : below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths
lowest point
Java Trench -7,192 m unnamed deep
highest point
sea level
Bathymetry
atolls
the following are examples of atolls in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): Bassas da India Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia Europa Island Juan de Nova Island Lakshadweep Islands Maldive Islands Seychelles
abyssal plains
the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): Arabian Basin Crozet Basin Madagascar Basin Mid-Indian Basin Mozambique Basin Wharton Basin
ocean trenches
the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): Java/Sunda Trench (deepest point in the Indian Ocean)
mid-ocean ridge
the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): Central Indian Ridge Davie Ridge Southeast Indian Ridge Southwest Indian Ridge
continental shelf
the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): Exmouth Plateau Indus Canyon The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal) Sunda Shelf
continental slope
the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): Bengal Fan Indus Fan
undersea terrain features
the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): Andaman-Nicobar Ridge Chagos-Laccadive Ridge Kerguelen Plateau Madagascar Plateau Mascarene Plateau Mozambique Plateau Ninetyeast Ridge
Ocean volume
ocean volume
264 million cu km
percent of World Ocean total volume
19.8%
Natural hazards
occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches
Geography - note
major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait
Natural resources
oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules
Area - comparative
almost seven times the size of the US
Major ocean currents
the counterclockwise Indian Ocean Gyre comprised of the southward flowing warm Agulhas and East Madagascar Currents in the west, the eastward flowing South Indian Current in the south, the northward flowing cold West Australian Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north; a distinctive annual reversal of surface currents occurs in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and clockwise currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and counterclockwise currents
Geographic coordinates
20 00 S, 80 00 E