Arabian Sea is a part of the Indian Ocean. It gets its name from the Arabian Peninsula which lies on its north-west side. Arabian sea is 2400km in length. It has India on its south, Pakistan on its north, Arab nations on its north-west and Somalia, the African country on its west. This sea was known as the ‘Sindhu Sagar’ during the Vedic era. The approximate depth of Arabian sea is 4652m. The area of the sea between the Arabian Peninsula and India is about 3862000 square kilometres and the depth is 2734m approximately. While it connects Persian Gulf with Oman sea by the strait of Hormuz, The Gulf of Aden in the southwest, connects the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb. This route was a major sea route for many centuries between Indian subcontinent and the European nations. River Sind is the major river that flows into the Arabian sea. The other important seas that falls into the Arabian sea includes Narmada, Tapti and Mahe. All major rivers of Kerala too flow into the Arabian sea. Countries like India, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Maldives share the coastal region of Arabian sea. The major cities like Mumbai, Surat, Mangalore, Kozhikode, Kochi (India), Gwadar (Pakistan). Aden (Yemen) are situated on its coast. The major islands in the Arabian sea are Maldives and Lakshadweep’s (India). The major ports are Kochi, Mumbai, Karachi and Aden.
