Indian Ocean

American  

[in-dee-uhn oh-shuhn] / ˈɪn di ən ˈoʊ ʃən /

noun

1. an ocean south of Asia, east of Africa, and west of Australia, with its deepest section in the Java Trench. 27,243,268 square miles (70,560,000 square kilometers).

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Indian Ocean British  

noun

1. an ocean bordered by Africa in the west, Asia in the north, and Australia in the east and merging with the Antarctic Ocean in the south. Average depth: 3900 m (13 000 ft). Greatest depth (off the Sunda Islands): 7450 m (24 442 ft). In December 2004 a major undersea earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami which affected large areas of the ocean as far away as east Africa, and killed an estimated 226 435 people. Area: about 73 556 000 sq km (28 400 000 sq miles)

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Indian Ocean Cultural  

1. Third-largest ocean (after the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean), extending from southern Asia to Antarctica and from eastern Africa to southeastern Australia.

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Etymology

Origin of Indian Ocean

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

Now, with tourism as this Indian Ocean country’s largest commodity, resort guests are setting sail into the turquoise waters with fishing rods in hand.

From Salon

Ports around the Indian Ocean are congested with redirected cargo, and shipping rates from Asia to Mumbai rose 56%.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s a passage that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

From Barron's

The strait is the only sea passage from the Gulf towards the Indian Ocean, through which nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies pass, as well as a significant amount of cargo.

From Barron's

After granting the US permission to use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the prime minister told MPs the government "does not believe in regime change from the skies".

From BBC