Childrens Illustrated World Atlas

98

INDIAN

OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Ca

rls

be

rg

(^) R

id

ge

Arabian

Basin

C

h

ag

o

s-

L

a

cc

a

d

iv

e^

P

la

te

a

u

N

i

n

e

t

y

e

a

s

t

R

i

d

g

e

Cocos

Basin

Mid-Indian

Basin

Wharton

Basin

C

h

ag

os

T

re

nc

h^

Br

oken^ Ridg

e

M i d - I n d i a n R i d g e

Mascarene

Basin

M

o

za

m

b

iq

u

e

P

la

te

a

u

South Indian Basin

Agulhas

Basin Crozet

Plateau

Agulhas

Plateau

Crozet

Basin

Madagascar

Basin

S

ou

th

w

es

t^

I

n

di

an

R

id

ge

Kergu

ele

n (^) P

la

tea

u

Sout he a s t

(^) I
n
d
ian
Ridge^

Perth

Basin

Ja

va

(^) Tr

ench

North Australian Basin

Cuvier

Plateau

Naturaliste Plateau

In v e st ig a to r

(^)
(^) R
id
g
e

Exmouth

Plateau

Ceylon

Plain

O

w

en

F

ra

ct

u

re

Ege

ria

Fr

act

ure

Z

on

e^

D

a v i e

(^)
Mascarene
Plain
Di
am
an
tina
(^) Frac
ture Zone

Ea

st

I

nd

ia

m

an

Banzare Seamounts

M

ur

ra

y^

Ganges Fan

Ind us

(^) Fa
n

Ch

ai

n^

Andrew Tablemount

Arg

o^ F

rac

tu

re^

Zo

ne

Natal

Basin

Africana Seamount

Ob' Tablemount Lena Tablemount

End

erby

Pla

in^

So

m

al

i^ B

as

in

Z

o

n

e^

Ri

dg

e^

R

id

ge

Ri

dg

e^

R

i d g e

Sumatra Borneo

Java

Celebes

East Indies

K

ep

ul

au

an

(^)

M

en

ta

w

ai

St Paul Island

Amsterdam Island

Kerguelen

Andaman Islands

(to India)

Nicobar Islands

(to India)

Lakshadweep

Islands

(to India)

Socotra (to Yemen)

Prince Edward Islands

(to South Africa)

Crozet Islands

COCOS

ISLANDS

(to Australia)

CHRISTMAS

ISLAND

(to Australia)

HEARD & MCDONALD ISLANDS

(to Australia)

BRITISH

INDIAN OCEAN

TERRITORY

(to UK)

RÉUNION

(to France)

MAYOTTE

(to France)

FRENCH SOUTHERN &

ANTARCTIC LANDS

(to France)

SRI LANKA

MALDIVES

M

A

D

A

G

A

SC

A

R

COMOROS

MAURITIUS

SEYCHELLES

AFRICA

ANTARCTICA

AUSTRALASIA

& OCEANIA

ASIA

Ethiopian

Highlands

Arabian

Peninsula

Horn of Africa

Ti

en

Shan^

Iranian

Plateau

H i m a l a y a s^

Go

bi^

MALE'

VICTORIA

Gulf of

Aden

R

e

d

(^) S

e

a

M

o

za

m

b

iq

u

e^

C

h

an

n

el

Bay of

Bengal

Gulf of

Thailand

A

n

da

m

an

(^) S

ea

Gulf of Oman

Pe rsi an

Yellow

Sea

South China

Sea

Caspian

Sea

Aral

Sea

Black Sea

Ja va S ea

Arabian

Sea

Mediterranean

Sea

Gu lf

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Indian Ocean

The third largest ocean in the world, the Indian

Ocean is bounded by Africa, Asia, Australasia, and

the Southern Ocean. The ocean contains some 5,000

islands. Madagascar and Sri Lanka are large, but

most of the islands are small and ringed by coral

reefs. The people of the Maldives have very mixed

origins, incorporating Indian, Sinhalese, Arab, and

African heritage, while two-thirds of those living on

Mauritius are Indian immigrants and their descendents.

Altogether, about one-fifth of the world’s population

live on this ocean’s warm shores. Those along the

northern coasts are often threatened by monsoon rain

and tropical storms, which can cause severe flooding.

CORAL ISLANDS

Coral is a living organism formed

in warm water by tiny sea creatures

known as polyps. These creatures build

limestone skeletons around themselves,

which accumulate over thousands of

years. As sea levels change, this coral

can be exposed as low-lying islands

or submerged as reefs.

THE SEYCHELLES

The Seychelles consists

of around 155 islands—some

are coral islands while others are

mountainous and made of granite.

Most Seychellois people are Creoles—

people of mixed African, Asian, and

European ancestry. There are also small

Chinese and Indian communities.

Market on the largest

Seychelles island, Mahé

ENVIRONMENT

Beautiful shells are

for sale on this beach

in South Africa. If the

trader only collects

empty shells, no harm is

done, but in many parts of

the world, dealers hunt live

shellfish, sea turtles, and rare

species of starfish and sea

urchins. Nations such as the

Maldives take great care to

protect their environment.

LIMITED TOURISM

The tropical climate, sandy beaches, beautiful coral reefs,

and abundant marine life make both the Seychelles and

the Maldives ideal tourist destinations. These same

features also make them extremely attractive to scuba

divers. However, the fragile environment of both island

nations means that they have deliberately tried to make

them exclusive, attracting only limited numbers of

wealthy visitors, instead of pursuing mass tourism.

THE MALDIVES

The Maldives is a

low-lying archipelago of

1,190 small, coral islands,

of which 200 are inhabited.

The main industries are

fishing—still carried out

by traditional pole-and-line

methods to conserve stocks—and

tourism. Holiday resorts are on separate

islands to those inhabited by the locals,

so as not to disturb the Maldive peoples’

traditional Muslim lifestyles.

Asia

US_098-099_the_indian_ocean_MAP.indd 98 19/04/17 2:15 pm