VIDEO
VIDEO
The Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean
Video. Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala reviews general facts about the Indian Ocean.
Grades
3 - 12+
Subjects
Biology, Earth Science, Oceanography, Geography, Physical Geography
If you had to draw the boundaries of the Earth's oceans on a map, would you be able to? The answer is no—because there is really only one "world ocean." Nevertheless, oceanographers have divided the world ocean into five principal areas, or basins: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic Ocean, and Southern Ocean basin.
This video focuses on the Indian Ocean basin.
Fast Fact
- The deepest point in the Indian Ocean is the Java Trench. The Java Trench is also referred to as the Sunda Trench.
Fast Fact
- During the winter, humpback whales travel from cold waters near the poles, where they spend the summer feeding, toward warmer waters closer to the equator. It's estimated that each year, 7,000 humpback whales migrate to the waters around Madagascar to breed and calve.
Fast Fact
- The Indian Ocean is nearly six times the size of the United States and spans over 9,978 kilometers (6,200 miles) from the southern tip of Africa to the western coast of Australia.
Fast Fact
- Oil tankers on the Indian Ocean carry 17 million barrels of crude oil a day from the Persian Gulf en route to shipping ports around the world.
Fast Fact
- The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean basin on earth. The warmth of the water inhibits the growth of phytoplankton and severely limits the amount of marine animals this area of the ocean can support.
Credits
Media Credits
The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.
Writer
Editors
other
Narrator: Enric Sala
Audiovisual: Steven Pickard
Scripts/Support: John Grotland, Barrett Worthington
Last Updated
January 8, 2024
User Permissions
For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.
Media
If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.
Text
Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.
Interactives
Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.
