What surrounds the Indian Ocean?

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Indian Ocean is bounded by Iran, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to the north; the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands, and Australia to the east; the Southern Ocean to the south; and Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to the west. In the southwest it joins the Atlantic Ocean, and to the east and southeast it mingles with the Pacific Ocean.