Seas of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans
Seas of the Indian Ocean. The waters of the Indian Ocean wash the coasts of Asia in the south. That ocean is linked with the South China Sea by the Strait of Malacca.
There are three large peninsulas in Southern Asia: Indo - China to the south-east, triangular Hindustan further west and Arabia, Asia's largest peninsula, to the south-west. Arabia is three and a half times the size of Scandinavia, Europe's largest peninsula.
Facing the south, between Indo-China and Hindustan, is the Bay of Bengal. Off the southern coast of Hindustan lies the island of Ceylon.
Between Hindustan and Arabia is the Arabian Sea, very similar in form to the Bay of Bengal. In its north-western part it forms a shallow arm that washes the eastern coast of Arabia and is called the Persian Gulf. The opposite coast of Arabia is separated from Europe by the long and narrow Red Sea. The reddish colour of the water near the coast of this sea is due to the numerous seaweeds that grow and multiply in it.
The Red Sea is crossed by one of the most important trade routes leading from Europe to Australia and to the southern and eastern coasts of Asia by way of the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Seas of the Atlantic Ocean off the Coasts of Asia. To the northwest of Arabia lies the peninsula of Asia Minor. Its southern and western coasts are washed by the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, its northern coast by the Black Sea. It is bordered by the Strait of Bosporus, the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara lying between them. These connect the Black Sea with the Aegean. There was land in place of these straits in days of old, with rivers flowing across it. But then the land sank, and the river valleys were flooded by the sea. The narrow, winding straits are very much like rivers even today.
Questions and Assignments.
1.Study the map and determine the depth of the gulfs and seas of the Indian Ocean.
2.Mark and name on the outline map the peninsulas, islands, seas and gulfs of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
3. Show on the map the sea route leading from Odessa on the northern coast of the Black Sea to Vladivostok on the coast of the Sea of Japan. Across which seas and straits does this route lie? |
