tional hazard in southern reaches

Environment - current issues:

endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and
whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea

Geography - note:

major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of
Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait

Economy
Indian Ocean

Economy - overview:

The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle
East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries
a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products
from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are
of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for
domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan,
South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for
shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in
the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western
Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production
comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and
offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering
countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand.

Transportation
Indian Ocean

Ports and terminals:

Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa),
Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India) Melbourne
(Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South Africa)

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of
littoral states and offshore waters as high risk for piracy and
armed robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, along
the east coast of Africa, the Bay of Bengal, and the Strait of
Malacca; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and
pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and
while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes
stolen; crew and passengers are often held for ransom, murdered, or
cast adrift

Transnational Issues
Indian Ocean

Disputes - international:

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Indonesia

Introduction
Indonesia

Background:

The Dutch began to colo