Essay On Indian Ocean Region

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

“The vital feature which differentiates the Indian Ocean from the Atlantic or the Pacific is the sub-continent of India, which juts out far into the sea for a thousand miles. It is the geographical position of India that changes the character of the Indian Ocean...”

- KM Panikkar ”

1. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) defines an area consisting of littoral states of the Indian Ocean. The IOR has a number of sub-regions, such as the Southern and Eastern Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, South Asia, South East Asia and Australia. The IOR is a region of much diversity in terms of culture, race, religion, economic development and in strategic interests. The countries vary in the size of their populations, economies, trade and technological development

Indian Ocean is a vast ocean which has its Western border as continental Africa to a longitude of 20° E, where it stretches to the South from Cape Agulhas. The Northern border of the ocean is in continental Asia extending from Suez to the Malay Peninsula. In the East, it incorporates Singapore, the Indonesian Archipelago, also the continent of Australia to longitude 147° E and Tasmania. The South of the ocean stretches to latitude 60° S as determined per the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. There are about 51 coastal and landlocked states, namely 26 Indian Ocean Rim states, five Red Sea states, four Persian Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, France, Britain and landlocked states. Many of these states are former colonies. The landlocked states with the exception of Afghanistan included as Indian Ocean states is dependent upon the Indian Ocean for trade and communication. This delimitation covers an area of 101.6 million km square, split between an ocean area of 68.56 km square and a land area of 33.05 km square. With a total population of 2.6 billion, the region represents 39 per cent of the global population and consists of a vast and diverse political, cultural and eco kaleidoscope