Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceans
. It's bordered by the Indian Subcontinent on the west of East Africa. This is why it got the name Indian' and it's the only ocean named after the country of India. It covers 20% of the water on the earth's surface. It's separated from Atlantic Ocean by a 200 east meridian and from the Pacific by another eastern meridian of 1460. The Ocean is about 10,000 kilometres wide and covers an area of 73.5 square kilometres including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Indian Ocean is dotted by a variety of islands. Island nations around are include Madagascar [the world's fourth largest island], Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Reunion Island. The water volume is estimated to be 293.1 cubic kilometers. The ocean contains the chief Indian trading port that is located in Mumbai. It's also referred to as the Gateway of India. Another one is the port of Kochi on the southern of India also known as The Queen of the Arabian Sea. This is the finest natural harbor of the country.
Indian Ocean shelters Port Louis in Mauritius. This is the largest container handling facility in the waters. It can accommodate the largest container vessels and allow easier docking. The only other port that can achieve that mean fete is found in Cape Town. The waters support marine life like dugong, seals, turtles and whales. The waters are best for surfing and a lot of wonderful beaches lie on the shorelines. There are a lot of hotels and beach villas in the island nations that are located within the ocean.