Arabian Sea
The
Arabian Sea (
Arabic: بحر العرب;
transliterated: Bahr al-'Arab,
Latin:
Mare Erythraeum) is the part of the
Indian Ocean bounded on the east by
India, on the north by
Pakistan and part of the southern Persian littoral, on the west by
Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between
Cape Guardafui, the north-east point of
Somalia,
Socotra and
Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) in
India. It was known as the
Sindhu Sagar to Indians in the
Vedic period of their history.
It has two important branches — the Gulf of Aden in the southwest, connecting with the Red Sea through the strait of
Bab-el-Mandeb; and the
Gulf of Oman to the northwest, connecting with the
Persian Gulf. Besides these larger ramifications, there are the gulfs of
Cambay and
Kutch on the Indian coast. Its islands are few, the chief being
Socotra, off the African, and the
Laccadives, off the Indian coast.
Ocean trade routes have crossed the Arabian Sea since ancient times, linking the
Near East with
East Africa,
India,
Southeast Asia, and
China. Historically, sailors in a type of ship called a
dhow used the seasonal
Monsoon winds to cross the sea. The sea forms part of the chief shipping route between Europe and India via the
Suez Canal, which links the Red Sea with the
Mediterranean Sea.
The maximum width of the Arabian Sea is approximately 2,400 km, and its maximum depth is 4,652 metres, in the Arabian Basin approximately at the same latitude as the southernmost tip of India. The
Indus River, also known as the Sindhu river, is the largest river flowing directly into this sea; others include the
Narmada,
Tapti,
Mahi, and the numerous
rivers of Kerala in India. The Arabian Sea coast of central India is known as the
Konkan Coast, and that of southern India is known as the
Malabar Coast.
The countries with coastlines on the Arabian Sea are
India,
Iran,
Oman,
Pakistan,
Yemen,
Somalia and the
Maldives.
Cities on the coast include
Mumbai (Bombay),
Surat,
Mangalore, and
Kochi (often described as the
Queen of the Arabian Sea["Decand Herald". April 16, 2006Decand Herald. ]) in India,
Karachi and
Gwadar in Pakistan, and
Aden in Yemen.
Famous beaches on the coast include
* beaches of
Karachi,
Main Khye* the beaches of
Goa*
Juhu Beach,
Mumbai*
Kovalam beach in
Kerala* This article incorporates text from the
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the
public domain.
*
Arabian Sea (World Wildlife Fund)
