Today we will look at the islands of the Indian Ocean. After all, it is the third largest body of water in the world. In its warm waters, there are many very spectacular tropical islands that simply cannot leave travelers indifferent. In addition, they are all classified as nature reserves. Most of them are predominantly concentrated in the western part. Now we will take a closer look at some of them, as well as what types they are divided into. Genetically, they are: coral, volcanic and continental.
Mainland and volcanic islands
The largest belong to the first - Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Masirai, Kuria-Muria, Socotra, Greater Sunda, as well as many small islands located along the coast of Western Australia, Indochina and Arabia. Most of them are limestone plateaus onancient Precambrian granites. There are also mountainous ones. The well-known Seychelles have their own special structure. Within the ocean floor, these are the only structures composed of granites. The islands of the Indian Ocean, which are of volcanic origin, are in turn divided into islands of the open ocean and islands of the transition zone. The latter are elements of island arcs.
They have a mountainous relief, their peaks are crowned with cones of volcanoes. These are the Nicobar, Andaman and Greater Sunda Islands. They are based to a lesser extent on volcanic tuff, and to a greater extent on bas alt. The volcanic islands of the Indian Ocean, such as Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Saint-Paul, Amsterdam, Mascarene, Comoros, are small in size and are the surface tops of volcanoes. They almost always have coral reefs around them.
Coral Islands
The most important feature of this part of the earth's waters are the islands, consisting of corals. They are for the most part typical atolls, which are composed of a large number of mushli, coral sand, rubble and gravel. A striking example of such an atoll is Diego Garcia. But the islands of the Indian Ocean of coral origin are also more complex atolls, consisting of many small atolls, and are up to 150 km in diameter. These are huge ring-shaped structures, such islands as Cocos, Amirant, Chagos, Maldives, Laccadive. Many of them were formed due to reef uplift.
A few examples. Christmas Island, 365 meters above sea level, was formed at the highest point of the Coconut Rise, Tromelin Island is five meters above the water level, and below it is 4000 meters of the Mascarene depression. What else distinguishes the coral islands of the Indian Ocean? The fact that they mainly grow coconut palms and preserved dense impenetrable thickets of mangrove forests. This is especially true, for example, for the Amirant Islands. Due to all their beauties and unexplored places, such places are especially attractive for travelers and tourists.
Indian Ocean Islands, list of islands in the eastern region
Now we will list the islands that belong to the region of East India: Andaman, Ashmore and Cartier, Christmas, Kakadu, Cocos (Keeling), Dirk Hartog, Garden Island, Jaffna, Kangaroo, Langkawi, King Island, Mentawai, Nias, Nicobar, Penang, Phi Phi, Phuket, Simelue, Sri Lanka, Mannar.
Let's continue the topic, what are the islands in the Indian Ocean, in its western part. These are: Agalega, Bank du Geyser, Bassas da India, Cargados Carajos, Chagos Archipelago, Comoros, Europe, Juan di Nova Islands, Lakshadweep - archipelago, Madagascar, Mafia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mayotte, Pemba, Reunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles, Tromelin, Zanzibar. And finally, just a few southern islands that are located south of Madagascar: Amsterdam, Crozet, Heard, McDonald, Kerguelen, Prince Edward, St. Paul.
Madagascar is a unique Indian islandocean
If we consider the largest islands of the Indian Ocean, then one cannot but pay attention to Madagascar, whose history begins from the moment when it broke away from Africa, about a couple of hundred million years. It is the fourth largest among all the islands in the world. It contains an amazing variety of plants, animals and birds, most of which - about 80% - are unique. The vast forests that exist here attract researchers and scientists from all over the world.
Even the tropics of South America cannot compete with them in terms of biological diversity of flora. In these places, you can even find creatures from the time of dinosaurs, such as chameleons, which have forty species. Take another fifty varieties of lemurs. All together they chose such wonderful trees as baobabs and a thorny forest. With its stunning uniqueness, Madagascar makes itself feel like the eighth continent.
Seychelles
If we take the largest islands of the Indian Ocean, then the Seychelles, which became independent in 1976, can be attributed to them. They cover an area of 455 square kilometers, are divided into 23 districts, and are located at a distance of 1,600 kilometers from Africa. Around them are the following islands: Reunion and Mauritius - in the south, the Maldives - in the northeast and the Comoros - in the southwest. There are about 80 thousand local residents here, most of them are of Chinese, Indian, Arabic, African and French origin.
Mother tongue is Creole, but English and French are also widely spoken. Seychelles consists of 115 islands in the archipelago, of which 33 are inhabited. The climate here is maritime subtropical, the average annual temperature is 29 degrees, in March and November there is a lot of rain. Most tourists come here for beach holidays, diving and sightseeing.
Mauritius is a holiday paradise
If we consider one single island in the Indian Ocean, the most suitable for a comfortable stay, then you need to pay attention to Mauritius. The country of the same name is one of the richest in Africa, characterized by colonial French mansions, colorful Indian temples, croissants for breakfast and curries for dinner. Various religions and peoples coexist here, and a successful multicultural society has been created.
The size of the island is small, you can drive around it in one day, it is a top-class resort, where excellent service is combined with huge popularity. There is a wide range of beach activities available, you can even go fishing for big fish.
