Today we look at the islands of the Indian Ocean. After all, it is the largest third body of water in the world. In its warm waters there are many very spectacular tropical islands that simply can not leave indifferent travelers. In addition, they are all classified as nature reserves. Most of them are mainly 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 first include the largest - Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Masirai, Curia Muria, Socotra, the Great Sunda, as well as many small islands located along the shores of Western Australia, Indochina and Arabia. Most of them are limestone plateaus on ancient Precambrian granites. There are also mountainous ones. The well-known Seychelles have their own special structure. Within the ocean bed - these are the only structures made up of granites. Islands of the Indian Ocean, having volcanic origin, in turn are divided into islands of the open ocean and islands of the transition zone. The latter are elements of island arcs.
They have a mountainous topography, their peaks are crowned with cones of volcanoes. These are Nicobar, Andaman and
Sunda Islands. They rely to a lesser extent on
volcanic tuff, and to a greater extent on basalt. Volcanic islands of the Indian Ocean, such as Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Saint-Paul, Amsterdam, Mascaren, Comoros, are small in size and are the surface peaks of volcanoes. Around them are almost always
coral reefs.
Coral islands
The most important feature of this part of the earth's water bodies are islands consisting of corals. They are for the most part typical atolls, which are composed of a large number of mushli, coral sand, gravel 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 have up to 150 km in diameter. These are huge ring-shaped constructions, islands such as Cocos, Amirants, Chagos, Maldives, Lakkadivsky. Many of them formed due to the rise of reefs.
A few examples. Christmas Island, 365 meters above sea level, formed at the top of the Coconut Rise, Tromelin Island is five meters above water level, and below it 4000 meters of the Mascarene Depression. What else stands out for 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 the Amiranta Islands, for example. Thanks to all its beauties and unexplored places, such places are especially attractive for travelers and tourists.
Islands of the Indian Ocean, list of islands in the eastern region
Now we will list you the islands that belong to the East India region: Andaman, Ashmore and Cartier, Christmas, Cockatoo, Coconut (Keeling), Dirk Hartog, Garden Island, Jaffna, Kangaroo, Langkawi, King Island, Mentawai, Nias, Nicobar , Penang, Phi Phi, Phuket, Simelue, Sri Lanka, Mannar.
We continue the theme of which 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, Lakshadwip - archipelago, Madagascar, Mafia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mayotte, Pemba, Reunion, Rodigr , Seychelles, Tromelin, Zanzibar. And finally, just a few southern islands that are located south of Madagascar: Amsterdam, Crozet, Hurd, MacDonald, Kerguelen, Prince Edward, Saint-Paul.
Madagascar - a unique island of the Indian Ocean
If we look at the largest islands of the Indian Ocean, then one can not help but pay attention to Madagascar, whose history begins from the moment when it broke away from Africa, about a couple of hundred million years. In size, it is the fourth among all the islands of the world. It contains an amazing variety of plants, animals and birds, most of which - about 80% - are unique. The vast forests available here attract researchers and scientists around the world.
Even the tropics of South America cannot compete with them in terms of biological diversity. In these places you can even find creatures from the time of dinosaurs, for example, chameleons, which have forty species. Take fifty more varieties of lemurs. Together, they chose such wonderful trees as baobabs and a thorny forest. Thanks to its stunning uniqueness, Madagascar forces itself to be considered the eighth continent.
Seychelles
If you take the largest islands of the Indian Ocean, then you can also include the Seychelles, which became independent in 1976. They occupy an area of 455 square kilometers, divided into 23 districts, are located from Africa at a distance of 1600 kilometers. Around them are the following islands: Reunion and Mauritius in the south, Maldives in the northeast and Comoros in the southwest. There are about 80 thousand locals here, most of them are of Chinese, Indian, Arab, African and French descent.
The mother tongue is Creole, but English and French are also widely spoken. Seychelles consists of 115 islands of the archipelago, of which 33 are inhabited. The climate here is subtropical marine, the average annual temperature is 29 degrees, in March and November there is a lot of rain. Most tourists come here for a beach holiday, diving and sightseeing.
Mauritius - a paradise for relaxation
If you 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, vibrant Indian temples, croissants for breakfast and curry for dinner. Various religions and peoples coexist here, a successful multicultural society has been created.
The size of the island is small, it can be traveled in one day, it is a resort of the highest class, where excellent service combined with great popularity. In the presence of a wide range of beach holidays, you can even go fishing for large fish.