Introduction: The Geography of the Indian Ocean and Its Navigation

The Indian Ocean covers approximately 75 million square kilometers. It is bordered to the west by the African coast and Arabia, to the east by the Thai–Malay peninsula, the Indonesian coasts, and – further south – western Australia. The Asian continent runs along its northern border, with India forming a wide peninsula that divides the northern Indian Ocean into eastern and western parts (the Bay of Bengal and the Sea of India, respectively). The western part of the Indian Ocean extends along both sides of Arabia, with a narrow entrance opening onto the Persian Gulf to the north and the Red Sea to the south.