Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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Madagascar

Natal Plateau

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Brok
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Perth
Basin
North Australia
Basin
Mid-Indian
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ala
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China
Sea
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C
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Timor
Sea
Banda
Sea
I N D I A N
O C EAN
Amirante Islands
Aldabra Islands(to Seychelles) (to Seychelles)
Mahé
Grande
Comore
Diego Garcia
Sri Lanka
Socotra
(to Yemen)
Laccadive Is.
(to India)
Andaman Islands
(to India)
Nicobar Is.
(to India)
Borneo
Sulawesi
(Celebes)
Timor
Sumatra
Java
Arabian
Peninsula
Eu
ph
rat
es
Ti
gri
s
Zam
bez
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Limp
op
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Ganges
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Ind
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St. Denis
Kuwait
Suez
Aden
Mombasa
Toamasina
Dar es Salaam
Mahajanga
Fianarantsoa
Toliara
ANTANANARIVO
PORT LOUIS
Beira
Mamoudzou
Durban
Chennai
(Madras)
Cochin
Karachi Kolkata
(Calcutta)
Mumbai
(Bombay) Yangon
(Rangoon)
Melaka
George
Town
Fremantle
Cape Town
Gu
lf (^) o
f (^) T
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MALE Singapore
Djibouti
Moroni
VICTORIA
A
S
I A
A
F
R
I
C
A
SEYcHELLES
cOMOROS
MaYOTTE
(to France)
RÉUNION
(to France)
MaURITIUS
MaDaGaScaR
BRITISH INDIaN
OcEaN TERRITORY
(to UK)
MaLDIVES
cOcOS ISLaNDS
(to australia)
cHRISTMaS ISLaND
(to australia)
aSHMORE &
caRTIER ISLaNDS
(to australia)
a
U
S
T
R
a
L
Ia
IndIan Ocean
273
Christmas
island
Area: 52 sq miles
(135 sq km)
Status: australian external
territory
Claimed: 1958
Population: 1,500
Capital: Flying Fish Cove
Comoros
Area: 863 sq miles
(2,235 sq km)
Population: 781,000
Capital: moroni
Languages: arabic,
Comoran, French
Religions: muslim,
roman Catholic
Currency: Comoros franc
madagasCar
Area: 226,658 sq
miles (587,041 sq km)
Population: 23,813,000
Capital: antananarivo
Languages: malagasy,
French
Religions: traditional
beliefs, Christian, muslim
Currency: malagasy franc
maldives
Area: 115 sq miles
(298 sq km)
Population: 394,000
Capital: male
Language: dhivehi
(maldavian)
Religion: sunni muslim
Currency: rufiyaa
mauritius
Area: 788 sq miles
(2,040 sq km)
Population: 1,340,000
Capital: Port louis
Languages: english, French,
French Creole
Religions: hindu, roman
Catholic
Currency: mauritian rupee
rÉunion
Area: 972 sq miles
(2,517 sq km)
Status: French overseas
department
Claimed: 1649
Population: 841,000
Capital: saint-denis
seyChelles
Area: 176 sq miles
(455 sq km)
Population: 92,500
Capital: victoria
Languages: english, French,
French Creole
Religion: roman Catholic
Currency: seychelles rupee
arab dhow
dhows are arab trading boats made of teak or
coconut planks, sewn together with twine. they are
lateen-rigged, which means that they have one, or
sometimes two, triangular sails. dhows are fast and
maneuverable. they were a vital tool in the arab exploration of the indian
ocean from the 8th century ce. using the monsoon winds, arab merchants soon
gained control of indian ocean trade and spread islam as far as indonesia.
the maldives
the maldives consist of 1,190 low-lying coral
islands, which form the crowns of ancient
submerged volcanoes. none of the
islands are higher than 6 ft (1.8 m),
and all but 20 have fewer than
1,000 inhabitants. rising sea
levels, caused by global
warming, threaten
to submerge
the islands.
N
S
W E
Volcano Mountain Capital
city
Large
city/
town
Small
city/
town
Ancient
monument
0
0 1000 2000
1000 2000
SCALE BAR
km
miles
US_273_Indian_Ocean_2.indd 273 21/01/16 5:01 pm