Arabian Sea

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Arabian Sea

18N 66ECoordinates: 1
Coordinate

s
8N 66E

Type Sea

Part of Indian Ocean

Basin coun India, Iran, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Som

tries alia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

 Max. width 2,400 km (1,500 mi)

Surface 3,862,000 km2(1,491,000 sq mi)

area

Max. depth 4,652 m (15,262 ft)

Islands Astola island, Basavaraja Durga

Island, Piram Island, Pirotan, Socotra

The Arabian Sea is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north
by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by northeastern Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula, and on the
east by India. Historically the sea has been known by other names including the Erythraean Sea and
the Persian Sea. Its total area is 3,862,000 km2 (1,491,000 sq mi) and its maximum depth is 4,652
metres (15,262 ft). The Gulf of Aden is in the southwest, connecting the Arabian Sea to the Red
Sea through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Oman is in the northwest, connecting it to
the Persian Gulf.

The Arabian Sea has been crossed by important marine trade routes since the third or second
millennium BCE. Major seaports include Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai, the Port of Karachi and
the Gwadar Port in Pakistan and the Port of Salalah in Oman. Other important ports include in
India, Kandla Port, and Mormugao in Goa. The largest islands in the Arabian Sea
include Socotra (Yemen), Masirah Island (Oman), Astola Island (Pakistan) and Andrott (India).

Contents
[hide]

1Geography

o 1.1Limits

2Alternative names

3Trade routes

o 3.1Major ports

4Islands
 5See also

6Notes

7References

8External links

Geography[edit]

Arabian Sea from space

The Arabian Sea's surface area is about 3,862,000 km2 (1,491,130 sq mi).[1] The maximum width of
the Sea is approximately 2,400 km (1,490 mi), and its maximum depth is 4,652 metres (15,262 ft).
The biggest river flowing into the Sea is the Indus River.

The Arabian Sea 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. There are also the gulfs of Khambhat and Kutch on the Indian coast.

17th century map depicting the locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
The countries with coastlines on the Arabian Sea are Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen, Oman, United Arab
Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, India and the Maldives. There are several large cities on the sea's coast
including Mumbai, Surat, Karachi, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara, Aden, Muscat, Keti
Bandar, Salalah, Duqm and Trivandrum.

Ormara beach, west side of the city

Limits[edit]

International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Arabian Sea as follows:[2]

On the West. The Eastern limit of the Gulf of Aden [The meridian of Cape Guardafui (Ras Asir,
5116'E)].

On the North. A line joining Rs al Hadd, East point of Arabia (2232'N) and Rs Jiyni (6143'E) on
the coast of Pakistan.

On the South. A line running from the South extremity of Addu Atoll (Maldives), to the Eastern
extreme of Rs Hafun (Africa, 1026'N).

On the East. The Western limit of the Laccadive Sea [A line running from Sadashivgad Lt. on West
Coast of India (1448N 7407E) to Corah Divh (1342N 7210E) and thence down the West side of
the Laccadive and Maldive Archipelagos to the most Southerly point of Addu Atoll in the Maldives].

Alternative names[edit]
The Arabian Sea historically and geographically has been referred to by many different names
by Arab travellers and European geographers, that include[3] Indian Sea, Persian Sea, Sindhu Sagar,
[4]
Erythraean Sea,[5] Sindh Sea,[citation needed] and Akhzar Sea.[citation needed]

Trade routes[edit]
The Arabian Sea has been an important marine trade route since the era of the coastal sailing
vessels from possibly as early as the 3rd millennium BCE, certainly the late 2nd millennium BCE
through the later days known as the Age of Sail. By the time of Julius Caesar, several well-
established combined land-sea trade routes depended upon water transport through the Sea around
the rough inland terrain features to its north.

Names, routes and locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

These routes usually began in the Far East or down river from Madhya
Pradesh with transshipment via historic Bharuch (Bharakuccha), traversed past the inhospitable
coast of today's Iran then split around Hadhramaut into two streams north into the Gulf of Aden and
thence into the Levant, or south into Alexandria via Red Sea ports such as Axum. Each major route
involved transhipping to pack animal caravan, travel through desert country and risk of bandits and
extortionate tolls by local potentiates.

This southern coastal route past the rough country in the southern Arabian
peninsula (Yemen and Oman today) was significant, and the Egyptian Pharaohs built several
shallow canals to service the trade, one more or less along the route of today's Suez canal, and
another from the Red Sea to the Nile River, both shallow works that were swallowed up by
huge sand storms in antiquity. Later the kingdom of Axum arose in Ethiopia to rule a mercantile
empire rooted in the trade with Europe via Alexandria.

Major ports[edit]

The Kochi Port located on the south-west coast of India is the nearest Indian port to the international shipping
routes, as well as one of the largest and busiest ports serving the Arabian Sea. Seen here is the International
Container Transshipment Terminal, the only such facility in India.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai is the largest port in the Arabian Sea, and the largest container
port in India.
The Port of Karachi (Urdu: , Bandargh-i Karc) is Pakistan's largest and busiest
seaport, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo (25 million tons per annum). It is located between
the Karachi towns of Kiamari and Saddar, close to the main business district and several industrial
areas. The geographic position of the port places it in close proximity to major shipping routes such
as the Strait of Hormuz. The history of the port is intertwined with that of the city of Karachi. Several
ancient ports have been attributed in the area including "Krokola", "Morontobara" (Woman's
Harbour) (mentioned by Nearchus), Barbarikon (the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, and Debal (a
city invaded and captured by the Muslim general Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 AD). There is a
reference to the early existence of the port of Karachi in the "Umdah", by the Arab
navigator Sulaiman al Mahri (AD 1511), who mentions "Ras al Karazi" and "Ras Karashi" while
describing a route along the coast from Pasni to Ras Karashi.

Karachi is also mentioned in the sixteenth century Turkish treatise Mirat ul Memalik (Mirror of
Countries, 1557) by the Ottoman captain Seydi Ali Reis, which is a compilation of sailing directions
from the Portuguese island of Diu to Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. It warns sailors about whirlpools
and advises them to seek safety in "Kaurashi" harbour if they found themselves drifting dangerously.

The gate facing the sea was called "Kharadar" (salt gate), and the gate facing the Lyari River was
called "Mithadar" (sweet gate). The modern neighbourhoods around the location of the gates are
called Mithadar and Kharadar. Surrounded by mangrove swamps to the east, the sea to the
southwest, and the Lyari River to the north, the town was well defended and engaged in a profitable
trade with Muscat and Bahrain.

The Port of Karachi in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, with some of the city's residential areas visible. The port
is one of the busiest in the Arabian Sea

The Gwadar Port is a warm-water, deep-sea port situated at Gwadar in Balochistan, Pakistan at the
apex of the Arabian Sea and at the entrance of the Persian Gulf, about 460 km west of Karachi and
approximately 75 km (47 mi) east of Pakistan's border with Iran. The port is located on the eastern
bay of a natural hammerhead-shaped peninsula jutting out into the Arabian Sea from the coastline.

Port of Salalah in Salalah, Oman is also a major port in the area. From a modest start in 1997, the
Omani container transhipment port has achieved consistent growth. It is a key container
transhipment hub on the Arabian Sea and is often used as the first port of call for vessels whose
crew have just been released from the clutches of Somali pirates following ransom payments for
withheld vessels and crew. The port also plays host as a supply base for the visiting warships that
provide protective escorts for merchant shipping in the sea lanes. From that dual role has emerged
another, one as an intelligence network both military and civilian to exchange information on
possible pirate sightings and near misses. Also, the International Task Force often uses the port as a
base. There is a significant number of warships of all nations coming in and out of the port, which
makes it a very safe bubble. The port handled just under 3.5m teu [clarification needed] in 2009[6]

Major Indian ports in the Arabian Sea are Mundra Port, Kandla Port, Nava Sheva, Kochi
Port, Mumbai Port, and Mormugo.[7][8]

Islands[edit]
There are several islands in the Arabian Sea, with the largest
being Socotra (Yemen), Masirah (Oman), Astola Island (Pakistan) and Andrott (India).

Astola is a Pakistani island just off the coast of Balochistan, Pakistan

Astola Island, also known as Jezira Haft Talar (Urdu: Balochi) or 'Island of the
Seven Hills', is a small, uninhabited island in the northern tip of the Arabian Sea in Pakistan's
territorial waters. It is a popular eco-tourism destination in the region. Overnight tourists camp on the
island and bring their own provisions. Camping, fishing and scuba-diving expeditions are popular. It
is also a site for observing turtle breeding. Endangered animals such as the green turtle (Chelonia
mydas) and the Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbracata) nest on the beach at the foot of the cliffs.
The island is also a very important area for endemic reptiles such as the Astola Viper (Echis
carinatus astolae).

Landsat view over Socotra, a Yemeni island.

Socotra (Arabic: Suqutra),
also spelled Soqotra, is the largest island, being part of a
small archipelago of four islands. It lies some 240 kilometres (150 mi) east of the Horn of Africa and
380 kilometres (240 mi) south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through the
process of speciation, a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. It has been
described as the most alien-looking place on Earth.

Masirah (Arabic: )is an island off the East coast of Oman. The main industries here
are fishing and traditional textile manufacturing. Formerly, traditional ship building was important.
The rugged terrain of the island and surrounding rough coastline has led to the appearance of many
wrecked dhows on the beaches of the island, most of them well preserved by the salt water and
intense heat. The ocean bottom environment surrounding Masirah is hostile as the majority of the
area is covered in either sand or hard rock. Despite the poor quality ocean bottom, the area is very
productive with marine fisheries, and any hard objects (barrels, engines) are immediately colonized
by local fauna.

See also[edit]
Erythraean Sea

North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone

Piracy off the coast of Somalia

Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ Arabian Sea, Encyclopdia Britannica

2. Jump up^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (PDF). International Hydrographic
Organization. 1953. Retrieved 7 February 2010.

3. Jump up^ "The Voyage around the Erythraean Sea". washington.edu.

4. Jump up^ "Kamat's Potpourri: The Arabian Sea". kamat.com.

5. Jump up^ The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea:Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a
Merchant of the First Century

6. Jump up^ Salalahs versatility beats the slumpArchived October 25, 2012, at the Wayback
Machine., Port of Salalah

7. Jump up^ "TRAFFIC HANDLED AT MAJOR PORTS (LAST 7

YEARS)" (PDF). shipping.gov.in.

8. Jump up^ "WORLD PORT RANKINGS" (PDF). aapa.files.cms-plus.com. 2009.

References[edit]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed.

(1911). "Arabian Sea". Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons
has media related
to Arabian Sea.

Arabian Sea (World Wildlife Fund)

Al-Hind: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7Th-11th

[show]

Earth's oceans and seas

[show]

Hydrography of the Indian subcontinent

[show]

Countries bordering the Arabian Sea

Authority WorldCat Identities

control VIAF: 251500992

LCCN: sh85006295
 GND: 4002533-0

NDL: 00628155
Categories:
Arabian Peninsula
Marine ecoregions
Arabian Sea
IndiaPakistan border
OmanYemen border
Bodies of water of Pakistan
Bodies of water of India
Bodies of water of Oman
Seas of Yemen
Bodies of water of Somalia
Bodies of water of Iran
Bodies of water of the Maldives
Bodies of water of the United Arab Emirates
Seas of the Indian Ocean
Seas of Asia
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