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The North Australian Basin (NAB; formerly Argo Abyssal Plain, or Argo Plain) is an oceanic basin in the easternmost corner of the Indian Ocean between northwest Australia and Indonesia. It was discovered by the U.S. research vessel " Argo " of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1960. [ 1 ]
The Indian Ocean, the third largest, extends northward from the Southern Ocean to India, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southeast Asia in Asia, and between Africa in the west and Australia in the east. The Indian Ocean joins the Pacific Ocean to the east, near Australia. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the five.
The islands of the Indian Ocean are part of either the eastern, western, or southern areas. Some prominently large islands include Madagascar , Sri Lanka , and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra , Java , and Lesser Sunda Islands .
In terms of the middle of India and Australia's landmasses, Australia is moving northward at 3 cm (1.2 in) per year relative to India. [4] This differential movement has resulted in the compression of the former plate near its centre at Sumatra and the division into the separate Indian and Australian plates again. [7] [6]
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering 70,560,000 km 2 (27,240,000 sq mi) or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth's surface. [4]
Extent of the Indian Ocean according to the International Hydrographic Organization. This list of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Indian Ocean consists of 38 countries, with 13 in Africa, 22 in Asia, and 1 in Oceania that either border on or are in the Indian Ocean, as well as 2 European countries which administer several dependencies or overseas territories in the region.
The territory is located in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the continental shelf, about 320 km (199 mi) off the northwest coast of Australia and 144 km (89 mi) south of the Indonesian island of Rote. [4] Ashmore Reef is called Pulau Pasir by Indonesians and Nusa Solokaek in the Rotenese language. Both names have the meaning "sand island".
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), officially the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (/ ˈ k oʊ k ə s /; [5] [6] Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), are an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and relatively close to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.