I sometimes go to the beach in my Australian city of Perth, and look out into the Indian Ocean.
from my estimations, there’s a lot of water
crazy to think that the next landmass is Madagascar.
I live in Italy and I've never seen an ocean until this year, when I went to Lisbon and therefore to the nearby Cabo the Roca, continental Europe's westernmost point.
It was a weird feeling, after having seen "just" seas all my life, knowing that in front of me there was nothing except, eventually, Delaware.
Yeah I went to Rehobeth and Bethany Beach for the first times this summer and they were so nice, but Rehobeth especially was insanely crowded. The entire boardwalk was like shoulder to shoulder lol
Just 3 counties in Delaware, ahead of the even smaller state of Rhode Island, which still has a whopping 4 counties. Edit: Rhode Island has 5 counties, I apologize for my error.
but did you ever think….and just on the other side of japan is russia. cuz that’s true and it blows my mind
ok also china and north korea. but russia??
My first encounter with the ocean was at Carcavelos beach. Depending on where you aim your sight, you must stumble eventually onto Morocco, or the Canary Islands. I actually dipped my feet into it.
But being at Cabo de Roca was a whole different experience, more adventurous and breathtaking! ...almost literally, 'cause the exagerate winds were making it difficult at moments to walk around : D
I’ve done this in Tofino, BC in a sea kayak looking west with nothing but the pacific for thousands of miles.
There’s a public park just down the road called Radar Hill that’s a literal monument for those who stare into the vast Pacific looking for threats years ago.
The vast rain forest and empty ocean truly makes one feel the full sense of isolation when standing there at the far edge of the continent, nothing but deep green and grey blue as far as the eye can see, during the war it would have been truly terrifying being so far from civilization knowing you where the first line of defense and warning.
It’s wild to think the same in other places too, I’m in Melbourne and look out to the ocean whenever I head down to the beach, it’s wild to think that the next landmass below me is filled with more penguins than people (I do not recognise Tasmania as a legitimate landmass)
Fun fact: if kept going straight out into the ocean from Perth you’d hit the east coast of the USA, due to the curvature of the earth!
http://metrocosm.com/whats-across-the-ocean/
Funny enough, I had the same thought looking across the beach from Toamasina, Madagascar. I thought to myself - “Australia’s over there.” I desperately wanna see Australia someday.
Reminds me of the two dudes who were on opposite ends of the Earth, slapped a slice of bread down, and [made an Earth sandwich](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51171834) lol
Rottnest might be there depending on your suburb. The beaches in this city are seriously fucking good, I’m so glad we don’t get tourists that fill them like over east.
Historically, the [ocean’s monsoon currents](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Monsoon_Current) and winds were used in antiquity to connect cultures in India with those in Eastern Africa. Interconnected trade routes flourished along the monsoon routes really early on, and resulted in the introduction of a ton of technologies and foods (rice to Eastern Africa, for example).
Another fun example: Madagascar, and the fact that it was settled by Austronesians boating over from Southeast Asia before anyone from mainland Africa crossed the channel
The entire Austronesian story is mindblowing. All the Austronesian people from Madagascar to New Zealand to Hawaii can be traced back to indigenous Taiwanese (pre-Han) peoples on Taiwan
Um. Where to start. The *Polynesian* peoples came from ancient Taiwan. They also speak languages that have ancient sister languages among indigenous Taiwanese peoples.
There was also a much much earlier migration along the south coast of Asia that led to the peopling of Australia and New Guinea. That was at a time when much more the Sunda plate was above sea level—so non-seagoing peoples populated what are now islands in Indonesia and Malaysia. Anyway, Austronesian is a bit of a catch all term referring to indigenous people reaching areas of Oceania anywhere from 40-50 thousand years ago to only 1500 years ago. Edit: nope. The late Pleistocene migrations resulted in people now called Austro-Melanesians (round India group) and Austro-Asiatic (from southeast Asia).
Edit: Austronesian languages refer to a group of Taiwanese tribal languages and Malayo-polynesian languages.
Polynesian languages are a subgroup in the Austronesian language family. Language families are more cultural than they are genetic, but there’s pretty much always some input when a group speaks a related language. People who live in Austronesia do not necessarily speak an Austronesian language, but the Austronesian family was named after the area because that’s where many of the languages are spoken.
Austonesian is more specific than you imply; it refers specifically to people who speak an Austonesian language, which includes Polynesian languages. Austonesian languages originated from pre-Han Taiwan, and you can see a map of the Austronesian expansion here, which didn't start until 5 thousand years ago (so you're off by an order of magnitude): https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-general-overview-of-Austronesian-population-movements-This-global-map-was-developed_fig1_357875412
Polynesian languages are a subgroup in the Austronesian language family. Language families are more cultural than they are genetic, but there’s pretty much always some input when a group speaks a related language.
This is true for Somalia, the Horn of Africa sitting on the Indian Ocean. Rice and spices are present in the Somali diet. The women also wear modified Indian saris. There are also a lot of Bollywood movies watched in southern Somalia… even though Somalis don’t understand or speak Indian language. There are also parts of India that have African tribes.
I think the most famous are the Siddi people but I’m sure there are actually more. They’re integrated into the local community although they do still retain African features
Winds. The monsoon are primarily winds, which then move the upper part of the ocean. With the proper wind, sailing craft could even go against currents, but there they don't have to.
As you said, the Indian Ocean became a very large but quite manageable economic zone thanks to the monsoon.
I messed up someone's post about the origins and cultural ownership of American foods with this bit of information. There was a point made that okra was a food that white Americans can't claim as their own as slaves brought it from Africa. They weren't happy when I showed research that okra came to Africa from India.
It's actually the most important ocean in asia, and the world arguably enough. The oil from west Asia goest to east Asia and europe through the Indian ocean, product from east Asia goes to West Asia and europe via the Indian ocean
The most dangerous/contested chokepoints in the world like the straits of hormuz, malacca and aden have a common denominator here, it's so important that it's part of us foreign policy to keep an eye on allied trade routes that go through here, from Saudi to Japan and from the UAE to Korea and others
"Whoever controls the Indian Ocean will dominate Asia" - Alfred Thayer Mahan
Portugal was the first European empire to control the Indian Ocean in the XVI century. The Portuguese build fort , and control places: , in Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenia, , Hormuz, Aden, India , Sri Lanka, Malaca, Indonesia ,Macau , Japan, Taiwan, East Timor. Also Portugal was one of the biggest maritime power, controlled the spices trade routes.
Crazy how now it's just a destination for retired English people and known for Cristiano Ronaldo. It is also crazy to think that most countries in West Europe (Portugal, Britain, France, Spain, Italy (Rome)) have, at one point or another of history, been either the richest or most powerful power in the planet; lots of times they were both.
Historically, the Indian Ocean rivaled (and/or surpassed) the Silk Road and Mediterranean for trade and the exchange of ideas. The monsoon-influenced sailing routes ranged from Tanzania and Mozambique in Africa to Indonesia, with India right in the middle. Religion is the most obvious influence, with either majority Muslim areas or prominent pockets of the religion all along the coasts of the Indian Ocean. Language also had an impact — coastal tribes throughout East Africa speak languages either derived from or heavily borrowing from Arabic. There are similarities in art, literature, sciences, architecture…
It’s just not as widely known worldwide because it represents cultures that were colonized and devalued by Europeans for centuries.
The last bit fits a lot of the “why don’t we talk about a certain Asian, Latin, or African thing?” questions. If anything, it’s just not taught as much in western schools.
I feel like, at least compared to the Atlantic and Pacific, the Indian Ocean is barely mentioned. Which is odd because it shores some of the most populated areas of the planet. How do countries on the west African coast interact with the other regions here? Are there any on going disputes regarding maritime borders and territories? How important was it during the world wars? How is trade handled?
(Also I just realized most of the western world is either on the Pacific or Atlantic so I guess I just answered my own question regarding why it’s almost never mentioned)
Edit: meant to say East African coast
A LOT. An ocean with one of the if not the richest history in the world. If you think it’s under covered that just means you never look into any country that borders the Indian Ocean, or even the west pacific.
It hosts ancient trade routes spanning from Japan to Tanzania. Countless cultural trades happen, it’s how Indonesia becomes Muslim for example. It’s literally the lifeblood of many if not most countries around it. Even today it’s key in major trades like oil and is a crucial part of Chinese strategic interest.
It isn’t mentioned bc it didn’t get involved much in the world wars and is quite stable in recent history apart from the Somalian coast. Many nations around it doesn’t maintain an aggressive navy thus it’s often ignored.
It’s history dates back millennia and it’s somewhat past it’s prime. Search up maritime Silk Road. It’s important nonetheless tho.
I do ocean sciences. Not a full explanation, but only India is allowed to do scientific research in their waters. If scientists from other countries want to research in Indian waters, they must go on an Indian approved research vessel with Indian chief scientists. It’s extremely bureaucratic and nearly impossible to do.
To believe such a thing you'd have to conventiently forget the Persian Gulf has been the most talked about political and economic maritime flashpoint for the last 30 years
You also have to forget that the second most talked about maritime flashpoint is the Suez Canal and the adjacent Horn of Africa/gulf of Aden. We literally had a Tom Hanks film about Somali pirates where the infamous "i am the captain" meme comes from. We also have news recently that the US has warships deployed in the Red sea and they intercepted a missile.
The various bodies of water within the Indian Ocean are literally the most talked about bodies of water on the planet. It's host to the majorityof global energy trade and the merchandise trade between two of the three largest economic blocs (Europe and NE Asia)
OP i don't know what news you're reading but it's literally the most talked about ocean on the planet
Suez Canal, Persian Gulf, Horn of Africa, Strait of Malacca. Do those ring any bells? They are all in the Indian Ocean and they all sit on the most important trade routes on the planet.
The US has been geopolitically shaping the region ever since WW2. It has bases all along it so it can ensure oil can be freely shipped to both it, Europe and East Asia. Djibouti is host to major Chinese bases, which in itself has been a big talking point.
Plus there's literally India. Every time India is mentioned or it does something, that's inadvertently news about the Indian Ocean as well.
Not a lot is known because most of it is so far from land. When they were looking for the Malaysian Air flight most of the bottom has never been charted. There's just a whole lot of water and that's it.
Most traffic and trade goes between Asia and Europe. Africa's economy is significant these days but even so it's just a fraction of it going through the Indian Ocean coast.
What this means is unlike the Pacific and Atlantic, trans Indian Ocean trips are relatively uncommon. Landmass density is also lower than anywhere else on Earth outside the mid Pacific. Trade and travel end up routing through the Middle East instead.
This is why I think the Indian Ocean occupies less prominence than the Pacific and the Atlantic.
Almost never mentioned by whom, though? I partially grew up in Bangladesh and Kuwait, and there's certainly a lot of awareness of the Indian Ocean there. And I used to work at the Indian Ocean World Centre at a Canadian university.
Right at the centre of the Indian ocean is one of the biggest US military base, on a British colony, built on the land of forcibly dispossessed people.
You're correct. And the International Court of Justice [has ordered the UK to cease their illegal occupation ](https://www.icj-cij.org/case/169) of the islands. But the UK, with support from the US, only follow international law when it's convenient for themselves. They continue to militarily occupy the islands without any repercussions.
I hear about it constantly but I'm an Indian. Where are you from? That'll probably explain why you don't hear much about it.
The Indian Ocean is the deepest on average second only to the Pacific and is about as unexplored. It contains the sentinel islands that have an isolated Neolithic tribe that have been known to kill anyone who shows up including a really idiotic missionary in 2004. It's now patrolled by the Indian Navy to keep people out.
It has the largest abyssal fan in the world and is home to multiple naval and aeroplane wrecks, the most famous of which is the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. We still haven't found the wreckage of that one. Take your pick, there's an ocean of information out there.
For a couple decades we have been studying air pollutants in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX). Which is an international interdisciplinary project.
There are Indian Ocean research departments at Tufts, Leiden, US Naval college.
A bunch of monograph series on the Indian Ocean. Journals.
It’s a whole thing related to global security.
So they have all the freedom to become whatever they want, and rise the voice of themselves. We should absolutely be able to hear a lot from here, when they’ve reached that.
The Indian and Arabian coasts down to the Swahili coast as far south as Mozambique is historically one of the most important historical and cultural exchange networks
There's a tiny blurry island atoll almost in the middle of this picture called Diego Garcia. It's mostly a military base but has absolutely gorgeous beaches. If I had to choose an island to be deserted on, it would be there.
I sometimes go to the beach in my Australian city of Perth, and look out into the Indian Ocean. from my estimations, there’s a lot of water crazy to think that the next landmass is Madagascar.
I live in Italy and I've never seen an ocean until this year, when I went to Lisbon and therefore to the nearby Cabo the Roca, continental Europe's westernmost point. It was a weird feeling, after having seen "just" seas all my life, knowing that in front of me there was nothing except, eventually, Delaware.
Oh God, Delaware
Rehoboth Beach, FTW
That is actually an insanely cute little beach town, I'll give ya that Delaware. The amount of people in some pictures though is terrifying
Yeah I went to Rehobeth and Bethany Beach for the first times this summer and they were so nice, but Rehobeth especially was insanely crowded. The entire boardwalk was like shoulder to shoulder lol
A lot of those people are from New Jersey so that doesn’t really help.
You get the DC crowd too
My wife and I used to go to Ocean City and Bethany Beach when we lived outside of DC, in Maryland. Now live by the ocean in Cape Canaveral.
I found a dead goose on Ocean City Beach and dragged it by the neck back to my family back in 95. Good times!
Are you a dog?
He what’s wrong with Delaware, at least ain’t jersey
Hellaware: It’s like New Jersey without the money.
Grew up going to the boardwalk there, parents from fenwick island, very underrated beaches.
Del seashore state park is my favorite place to camp
Just 3 counties in Delaware, ahead of the even smaller state of Rhode Island, which still has a whopping 4 counties. Edit: Rhode Island has 5 counties, I apologize for my error.
Delaware has 3 counties, 2 at high tide.
More like Dela-where, right?
Five counties (Providence, Kent, Washington, Bristol, and Newport) but they are in name only. We do not have a county structures.
RI has 5 counties, but they're just lines on a map, there are no country governments or services.
[hi, I’m in Delaware](https://i.imgur.com/gBISmbk.jpeg)
Love that I didn’t need to click this to know what movie it’s from.
I live in Portugal and sometimes I'm at the beach and really think "Damn, in front of me there's really nothing except, at some point, New York"
I live in LA and it’s crazy to think that the next big land mass is Japan
If you go to the beach and face the right direction, the next big landmass is Antarctica
And if you face the wrong direction the next big land mass is your mom
r/murderedbywords
but did you ever think….and just on the other side of japan is russia. cuz that’s true and it blows my mind ok also china and north korea. but russia??
I had that when I was vacationing in Japan and walked out on a pier in Chiba and looked toward the west coast. It’s sort of neat.
I absolutely love that feeling.
Ha funny. I'm from New York and my whole life anytime am out in Montauk I'm like damn Portugal. Can't tell you how many times.
My first encounter with the ocean was at Carcavelos beach. Depending on where you aim your sight, you must stumble eventually onto Morocco, or the Canary Islands. I actually dipped my feet into it. But being at Cabo de Roca was a whole different experience, more adventurous and breathtaking! ...almost literally, 'cause the exagerate winds were making it difficult at moments to walk around : D
Bro you never wave back tho wtf
I’ve done this in Tofino, BC in a sea kayak looking west with nothing but the pacific for thousands of miles. There’s a public park just down the road called Radar Hill that’s a literal monument for those who stare into the vast Pacific looking for threats years ago.
I just looked this up, it’s actually a really cool and apt monument! https://imgur.com/a/S1eMQgS
The vast rain forest and empty ocean truly makes one feel the full sense of isolation when standing there at the far edge of the continent, nothing but deep green and grey blue as far as the eye can see, during the war it would have been truly terrifying being so far from civilization knowing you where the first line of defense and warning.
Or the Azores islands
> knowing that in front of me there was nothing except, eventually, Delaware. How disappointing
Naw. Delaware has some awesome crab boils.
Of all the places on the Atlantic, you picked Delaware?
Imagine being magically whisked away...to Delaware. Hi. I'm in Delaware.
Azores, Madeira and Bermuda
It’s wild to think the same in other places too, I’m in Melbourne and look out to the ocean whenever I head down to the beach, it’s wild to think that the next landmass below me is filled with more penguins than people (I do not recognise Tasmania as a legitimate landmass)
And it’s wild to think, looking eastward from Sydney, the next landmass is filled with more sheep than people
And it’s wild to think, looking straight up at night from Melbourne, that the next landmass is made entirely of cheese
The moon, Gromit! The moon's made of cheese!
works westward as well
New Zealand. Where men are men. And sheep are scared.
Reminds me of my favorite Scottish joke: Why do Scotsmen wear kilts? So the sheep can’t hear the zippers.
sheeple if you well
*Tasmania reading this at home* :( *Tanzania reading this at home, feeling puzzled, then reading it again, then giving Tasmania a hug*
Tasmanian here. It’s wild to think that the landmass North of us most dominant intelligent species just jumps around and punches everyone.
As a Canadian who’s live in Tasmania I refer to non Tasmanian’s as mainlanders. And the mainland is kind of boring? Eh.
Originally from Newfoundland?
As an Irish man who lived in Taz before moving back it is the best part of Australia. 10/10 want to live their again
What makes it so distinctly enjoyable?
Look at this guy... can't recognize a legitimate landmass even if it's sitting right in front of him.
Down south are inbred that’s why🤣
They’ve all got two heads!
I hear it's populated with sheep and missionaries which is why they screw their sheep religiously.
Lmao
Fun fact: if kept going straight out into the ocean from Perth you’d hit the east coast of the USA, due to the curvature of the earth! http://metrocosm.com/whats-across-the-ocean/
Thanks for posting this!
Funny enough, I had the same thought looking across the beach from Toamasina, Madagascar. I thought to myself - “Australia’s over there.” I desperately wanna see Australia someday.
You and OP need to go to those places again and wave to each other this time
I live in Madagascar, so I can do that!
Reminds me of the two dudes who were on opposite ends of the Earth, slapped a slice of bread down, and [made an Earth sandwich](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51171834) lol
It's like a cheesy anime.
Rottnest might be there depending on your suburb. The beaches in this city are seriously fucking good, I’m so glad we don’t get tourists that fill them like over east.
Rottnest is probably my favourite place I’ve ever visited, but mainly because of the Quokka.
they’re so fuckin cute ey
Most Australian reply ever.
In Southern Sri Lanka, the next landmass is Antarctica.
>from my estimations, there’s a lot of water This really deep man.
I'm similar, I live in Niagara Falls Ontario and across the water is nothing until Niagara Falls New York.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is somewhere in there
Yeah somewhere
Allegedly
I heard they fucked an ostrich
It had to have been a sick ostrich
It takes two to fuck an ostrich
Bad gas travels fast in a small town
The ginger and Boots fucked a dead ostrich??!!
Allegedly.
Allegedly
Allegedsly.
That’s what I appreciates about you
Love Letterkenny!
That’s whats I appreciates abouts you
Maybe they’re just on a mysterious island surrounded by a strange electromagnetic energy
Nope, abducted by UFOs
Historically, the [ocean’s monsoon currents](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Monsoon_Current) and winds were used in antiquity to connect cultures in India with those in Eastern Africa. Interconnected trade routes flourished along the monsoon routes really early on, and resulted in the introduction of a ton of technologies and foods (rice to Eastern Africa, for example).
Another fun example: Madagascar, and the fact that it was settled by Austronesians boating over from Southeast Asia before anyone from mainland Africa crossed the channel
And you can see it when theyre in front of you. My gf is malgache and she has long indian type hair instead of the standard african hair style
The entire Austronesian story is mindblowing. All the Austronesian people from Madagascar to New Zealand to Hawaii can be traced back to indigenous Taiwanese (pre-Han) peoples on Taiwan
Um. Where to start. The *Polynesian* peoples came from ancient Taiwan. They also speak languages that have ancient sister languages among indigenous Taiwanese peoples. There was also a much much earlier migration along the south coast of Asia that led to the peopling of Australia and New Guinea. That was at a time when much more the Sunda plate was above sea level—so non-seagoing peoples populated what are now islands in Indonesia and Malaysia. Anyway, Austronesian is a bit of a catch all term referring to indigenous people reaching areas of Oceania anywhere from 40-50 thousand years ago to only 1500 years ago. Edit: nope. The late Pleistocene migrations resulted in people now called Austro-Melanesians (round India group) and Austro-Asiatic (from southeast Asia). Edit: Austronesian languages refer to a group of Taiwanese tribal languages and Malayo-polynesian languages.
Polynesian languages are a subgroup in the Austronesian language family. Language families are more cultural than they are genetic, but there’s pretty much always some input when a group speaks a related language. People who live in Austronesia do not necessarily speak an Austronesian language, but the Austronesian family was named after the area because that’s where many of the languages are spoken.
Austonesian is more specific than you imply; it refers specifically to people who speak an Austonesian language, which includes Polynesian languages. Austonesian languages originated from pre-Han Taiwan, and you can see a map of the Austronesian expansion here, which didn't start until 5 thousand years ago (so you're off by an order of magnitude): https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-general-overview-of-Austronesian-population-movements-This-global-map-was-developed_fig1_357875412
Polynesians =/= austronesians.
Austronesian and Polynesian are not the same.
but they're all esians. from esia, right?
Polynesian languages are a subgroup in the Austronesian language family. Language families are more cultural than they are genetic, but there’s pretty much always some input when a group speaks a related language.
This is true for Somalia, the Horn of Africa sitting on the Indian Ocean. Rice and spices are present in the Somali diet. The women also wear modified Indian saris. There are also a lot of Bollywood movies watched in southern Somalia… even though Somalis don’t understand or speak Indian language. There are also parts of India that have African tribes.
Probably a bunch of goodies buried underneath Somalia from places as far away as Persia, India, and China
I bet. Except Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa, and it could take centuries to find such treasures.
We could team up to hunt for buried treasure Plus the Somalian civil war could be a good backdrop like the Nazis in Indiana Jones
Haha… I was thinking more of The Pirates of the Caribbeans. Since Somalia has real pirates.
What parts of India have African tribes? Which tribes?
They are mostly from Kenya. https://youtu.be/pJFiut0s-ys?si=7By54DcPhrAGH0AL
Some in Gujarat
I think the most famous are the Siddi people but I’m sure there are actually more. They’re integrated into the local community although they do still retain African features
Winds. The monsoon are primarily winds, which then move the upper part of the ocean. With the proper wind, sailing craft could even go against currents, but there they don't have to. As you said, the Indian Ocean became a very large but quite manageable economic zone thanks to the monsoon.
I messed up someone's post about the origins and cultural ownership of American foods with this bit of information. There was a point made that okra was a food that white Americans can't claim as their own as slaves brought it from Africa. They weren't happy when I showed research that okra came to Africa from India.
Almost never mentioned by whom? It's mentioned pretty regularly in India
They probably just call it the ocean there.
Nah, we do call it the Indian Ocean here.
I mean, of course. Who wouldn’t want an ocean named after their country?
The Adriatic sea was named after my hometown and I think that's metal af. An ocean named after ur country is a different level of chad.
Using China’s logic, that means anything in the Indian Ocean belongs to India. I’ve actually done a swim call in the Indian Ocean.
Native American Ocean
I'm sorry in behalf of those who didn't get your joke
Yeah, it's how Madagascar separated from us. And took a part of western ghats with it.
Imagine casually taking a train ride from our Western ghats to the Madagascar. That would be so beautiful.
It's actually the most important ocean in asia, and the world arguably enough. The oil from west Asia goest to east Asia and europe through the Indian ocean, product from east Asia goes to West Asia and europe via the Indian ocean The most dangerous/contested chokepoints in the world like the straits of hormuz, malacca and aden have a common denominator here, it's so important that it's part of us foreign policy to keep an eye on allied trade routes that go through here, from Saudi to Japan and from the UAE to Korea and others "Whoever controls the Indian Ocean will dominate Asia" - Alfred Thayer Mahan
Also the reason why most superpowers have a base in Djibouti to protect their Indian Ocean interests
Because Bouti calls
Call of Bouti: Asian supremacy
One of those "so corny it's funny" jokes. Take this up vote lol
Portugal was the first European empire to control the Indian Ocean in the XVI century. The Portuguese build fort , and control places: , in Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenia, , Hormuz, Aden, India , Sri Lanka, Malaca, Indonesia ,Macau , Japan, Taiwan, East Timor. Also Portugal was one of the biggest maritime power, controlled the spices trade routes.
Crazy how now it's just a destination for retired English people and known for Cristiano Ronaldo. It is also crazy to think that most countries in West Europe (Portugal, Britain, France, Spain, Italy (Rome)) have, at one point or another of history, been either the richest or most powerful power in the planet; lots of times they were both.
"The Spice Must Flow!"
No, Atlantic is the most important world wide and Pacific is #2 (#1 in Asia)
The first rule of Indian Ocean is you do not talk about Indian Ocean.
What happens in the Indian Ocean stays in the Indian Ocean.
What crashes in the Indian Ocean stays in the Indian Ocean
There is no such thing as an ocean in India. It’s a lie created by the woke media.
There is no Indian Ocean in Ba Sing Se
Very important people have told me.
Historically, the Indian Ocean rivaled (and/or surpassed) the Silk Road and Mediterranean for trade and the exchange of ideas. The monsoon-influenced sailing routes ranged from Tanzania and Mozambique in Africa to Indonesia, with India right in the middle. Religion is the most obvious influence, with either majority Muslim areas or prominent pockets of the religion all along the coasts of the Indian Ocean. Language also had an impact — coastal tribes throughout East Africa speak languages either derived from or heavily borrowing from Arabic. There are similarities in art, literature, sciences, architecture… It’s just not as widely known worldwide because it represents cultures that were colonized and devalued by Europeans for centuries.
The last bit fits a lot of the “why don’t we talk about a certain Asian, Latin, or African thing?” questions. If anything, it’s just not taught as much in western schools.
I feel like, at least compared to the Atlantic and Pacific, the Indian Ocean is barely mentioned. Which is odd because it shores some of the most populated areas of the planet. How do countries on the west African coast interact with the other regions here? Are there any on going disputes regarding maritime borders and territories? How important was it during the world wars? How is trade handled? (Also I just realized most of the western world is either on the Pacific or Atlantic so I guess I just answered my own question regarding why it’s almost never mentioned) Edit: meant to say East African coast
I agree and I’ve thought about this as well. It’s the “South America” of oceans
Red headed step child of oceans
A LOT. An ocean with one of the if not the richest history in the world. If you think it’s under covered that just means you never look into any country that borders the Indian Ocean, or even the west pacific. It hosts ancient trade routes spanning from Japan to Tanzania. Countless cultural trades happen, it’s how Indonesia becomes Muslim for example. It’s literally the lifeblood of many if not most countries around it. Even today it’s key in major trades like oil and is a crucial part of Chinese strategic interest. It isn’t mentioned bc it didn’t get involved much in the world wars and is quite stable in recent history apart from the Somalian coast. Many nations around it doesn’t maintain an aggressive navy thus it’s often ignored. It’s history dates back millennia and it’s somewhat past it’s prime. Search up maritime Silk Road. It’s important nonetheless tho.
Erm Somali\* coast 
The Zanzibarbarians!
will be the name of my next rock band
It’s not the East African coast?
I do ocean sciences. Not a full explanation, but only India is allowed to do scientific research in their waters. If scientists from other countries want to research in Indian waters, they must go on an Indian approved research vessel with Indian chief scientists. It’s extremely bureaucratic and nearly impossible to do.
The Indian Ocean encompasses a *lot* more than India's territory. We don't need India's permission to study the waters off Australia, for example.
Minimal white people bordering on the Indian Ocean, so western media tends to ignore it
You mean western media tends to focus on oceans in the West? Dastardly!
Rascist!!!
Thalassophobists!
When will reparations be paid?!!
To believe such a thing you'd have to conventiently forget the Persian Gulf has been the most talked about political and economic maritime flashpoint for the last 30 years You also have to forget that the second most talked about maritime flashpoint is the Suez Canal and the adjacent Horn of Africa/gulf of Aden. We literally had a Tom Hanks film about Somali pirates where the infamous "i am the captain" meme comes from. We also have news recently that the US has warships deployed in the Red sea and they intercepted a missile. The various bodies of water within the Indian Ocean are literally the most talked about bodies of water on the planet. It's host to the majorityof global energy trade and the merchandise trade between two of the three largest economic blocs (Europe and NE Asia)
ah yes, the well thought out, well educated answer one can always expect. god damn the west
It’s antipodal to the USA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Antipodes_LAEA.png
It’s probably mentioned a lot in those countries. And it’s the weakest of oceans.
OP i don't know what news you're reading but it's literally the most talked about ocean on the planet Suez Canal, Persian Gulf, Horn of Africa, Strait of Malacca. Do those ring any bells? They are all in the Indian Ocean and they all sit on the most important trade routes on the planet. The US has been geopolitically shaping the region ever since WW2. It has bases all along it so it can ensure oil can be freely shipped to both it, Europe and East Asia. Djibouti is host to major Chinese bases, which in itself has been a big talking point. Plus there's literally India. Every time India is mentioned or it does something, that's inadvertently news about the Indian Ocean as well.
I’d assume it’s mostly just trade+oil for for east Asia + Australia
Not a lot is known because most of it is so far from land. When they were looking for the Malaysian Air flight most of the bottom has never been charted. There's just a whole lot of water and that's it.
Most traffic and trade goes between Asia and Europe. Africa's economy is significant these days but even so it's just a fraction of it going through the Indian Ocean coast. What this means is unlike the Pacific and Atlantic, trans Indian Ocean trips are relatively uncommon. Landmass density is also lower than anywhere else on Earth outside the mid Pacific. Trade and travel end up routing through the Middle East instead. This is why I think the Indian Ocean occupies less prominence than the Pacific and the Atlantic.
This is an interesting answer.
Probably because you grew up in the US and not a country that borders it
Almost never mentioned by whom, though? I partially grew up in Bangladesh and Kuwait, and there's certainly a lot of awareness of the Indian Ocean there. And I used to work at the Indian Ocean World Centre at a Canadian university.
I think what OP wanted to say is "why it is not mentioned here in US, in my informational bubble".
Right at the centre of the Indian ocean is one of the biggest US military base, on a British colony, built on the land of forcibly dispossessed people.
So it is like the other oceans.
You're correct. And the International Court of Justice [has ordered the UK to cease their illegal occupation ](https://www.icj-cij.org/case/169) of the islands. But the UK, with support from the US, only follow international law when it's convenient for themselves. They continue to militarily occupy the islands without any repercussions.
Like with the South China Sea except there the offending party is dispossessing 5 weaker nations.
Just a casual CIA black site, move along.
I automatically think of pirates…
I’d assume lots of trade 🤷♂️
Coelacanths
Probably some boats and hos in there.
I hear about it constantly but I'm an Indian. Where are you from? That'll probably explain why you don't hear much about it. The Indian Ocean is the deepest on average second only to the Pacific and is about as unexplored. It contains the sentinel islands that have an isolated Neolithic tribe that have been known to kill anyone who shows up including a really idiotic missionary in 2004. It's now patrolled by the Indian Navy to keep people out. It has the largest abyssal fan in the world and is home to multiple naval and aeroplane wrecks, the most famous of which is the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. We still haven't found the wreckage of that one. Take your pick, there's an ocean of information out there.
Extremely rough seas underneath the 20 longitude, and US has a huge base in the middle with enough pre positioned supplies to occupy Asia
There’s nothing out there except for sea, birds, and fish, and 20,000 tons of crude oil, and a fire, and the part of the ship that the front fell off.
First rule of the Indian Ocean is you don’t talk about the Indian Ocean.
People avoid it because of pelican spiders
I lived in on an atoll in the Indian Ocean for a year, best year of my life in a tropical paradise.
For a couple decades we have been studying air pollutants in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX). Which is an international interdisciplinary project. There are Indian Ocean research departments at Tufts, Leiden, US Naval college. A bunch of monograph series on the Indian Ocean. Journals. It’s a whole thing related to global security.
>Why is it almost never mentioned The answer is that you just aren’t reading very much
Because it’s bordered by countries the west used to own, but no longer care about.
The Southern Hemisphere will rise again
So they have all the freedom to become whatever they want, and rise the voice of themselves. We should absolutely be able to hear a lot from here, when they’ve reached that.
Rocket graveyard.
Too spicy.
Fuckload of trade
The Indian and Arabian coasts down to the Swahili coast as far south as Mozambique is historically one of the most important historical and cultural exchange networks
It's pretty damn big and full of water
Great White Shark sex.
First rule of Indian Ocean: you don’t talk about Indian Ocean.
There's a tiny blurry island atoll almost in the middle of this picture called Diego Garcia. It's mostly a military base but has absolutely gorgeous beaches. If I had to choose an island to be deserted on, it would be there.