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

Modern France still has overseas territories across the globe, from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean and Pacific, legacies of the colonial era that are now vital strategic footholds for Paris.

From Barron's

One was carrying Russian naphtha—a diluent Venezuela uses to mix with heavy oil—to the South American country when it turned tail in the Indian Ocean; the others were empty.

From The Wall Street Journal

"At approximately the same time, ther Diadema species have been observed to be dying off in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Sea of Oman, and the western Indian Ocean."

From Science Daily

Days can be filled with activities like kitesurfing in a turquoise archipelago or whale-watching from a unique vantage point—up above the Indian Ocean in a helicopter.

From The Wall Street Journal

The latest search in the southern Indian Ocean was suspended in April as it was "not the season".

From Barron's