Chapter 2
Background: the Indian Ocean rim
There can be little doubt that Australia should be giving
greater attention to the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is the world's third
largest ocean. Australia is a major stakeholder in the affairs of the Indian Ocean
region, including its security and stability.[1]
2.1
The Indian Ocean is the world's third largest ocean and its 26 littoral
countries are home to 2.3 billion people. These Indian Ocean rim countries
include some of the world's most populous (India, Indonesia) as well as small
and sparsely populated islands. Three countries have a United Nations Human
Development Index of over 0.8 (Australia, Singapore and Oman), while the
majority of Indian Ocean rim countries rate in the low to medium development
categories. The Indian Ocean rim also includes countries such as India,
Timor-Leste, Mozambique and Sri Lanka which have high levels of economic
growth.[2]
Definitions
Geographic and hydrographic
definition
2.2
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), an inter-governmental
organisation of which Australia is a member country, defines the Indian Ocean
as encompassing the area bordered on the west by Africa, on the east by
Australia, and including bodies of water such as the Bay of Bengal. In 2000,
the IHO redefined the Indian Ocean, moving it to a southern limit of 60 degrees
south to allow for the Southern Ocean.[3]
While this definition has not been ratified (Australia has lodged a
reservation), it is a widely accepted and used definition.[4]
2.3
The map below illustrates the physical limits of the Indian Ocean, according
to the IHO definition—this includes the 26 littoral countries forming the rim
of the Indian Ocean.[5]
Map of the Indian
Ocean[6]
Rim vs region
2.4
While some submissions use 'rim' and 'region' interchangeably when
discussing the countries which constitute the Indian Ocean rim area, Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) notes that the terms can vary and include
different countries.[7]
2.5
When collating statistics on a regional basis the countries of the
Indian Ocean region are relegated to established and readily understood sub-regions
(for example the Gulf countries), geographic areas (African countries are often
referred to collectively as simply Africa) or key countries (for example India).
DFAT provides a breakdown of countries that can be classified as states of the
Indian Ocean—Indian Ocean countries located on the rim; countries included in
the wider region; and countries geographically located outside the region but which
have strong links to the region.
States of Indian Ocean[8]
|
Indian
Ocean rim
|
|
|
|
|
Indian
Ocean region
|
|
|
|
|
Broader
Indian Ocean region
|
|
Countries
located in the Indian Ocean rim@
|
Nearby
coastal countries #
|
Other
nearby countries, including:
|
Other
extra-regional stakeholders with strong interests in the region, including:
|
|
Australia
Bangladesh
Burma
(Myanmar)
Comoros
Djibouti
India
Indonesia
Iran
Kenya
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives
Mauritius
Mozambique
|
Oman
Pakistan
Seychelles
Singapore
Somalia
South
Africa
Sri
Lanka
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
UAE
Yemen
French
Territories in the Indian Ocean (France)*^
British
Indian Ocean Territory (UK)^
|
Bahrain
Egypt^
Eritrea
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Qatar
Saudi
Arabia
Sudan
|
Afghanistan
Bhutan
Botswana
Burundi
Brunei
Cambodia
Ethiopia
Laos
Lesotho
Malawi
Nepal
Philippines
Rwanda
South
Sudan
Swaziland
Uganda
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe
|
China^
EU
France^
Japan^
Republic
of Korea
Russia
UK^
US
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.6
Despite the lack of consensus on the countries that form the Indian
Ocean region, the committee has, for the purposes of this report, taken DFAT's
tighter definition that includes the countries that are located directly on the
Indian Ocean littoral rim. Thus, when the committee refers to the Indian Ocean
rim, it is referring to the 26 Indian Ocean littoral countries. During this
report, the committee also refers to countries outside the region that have a
significant interest and/or presence in the region.
Sub-regions
2.7
The Indian Ocean rim 'region' can also be categorised in terms of
sub-regional groups and issue-specific groups. In their submission, the Indian
Ocean Research Group identified nine regional groupings in the Indian Ocean rim
(diagram below).[9]
Several submissions noted that the way in which Australia already engages with Indian
Ocean rim countries, and can do so in the future, is through issue or region
specific groupings. Other submissions, for example Future Directions International,
noted that some sub-regional groups can be effective forums to promote
Australian interests.[10]
Likewise, issue specific groups, which may have larger memberships but their
focus is narrower—for example organisations managing fisheries such as the
Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and the Indian Ocean Commission. Mr Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe[11]
maintained that Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) had been useful in creating
a forum for navies in the region to discuss maritime safety and security issues
and share lessons learnt.[12]
The
Indian Ocean Region and Sub-Systems[13]
2.8
The committee's report explores the question of how useful a
conceptualisation of the Indian Ocean rim as a cohesive region would be to
Australia's interaction with the region as a whole. In particular, the
committee considers how this concept could be used to leverage the efforts
already being made by Australian business and state and federal governments in
interacting with individual Indian Ocean rim countries and Indian Ocean rim
sub-groups.
Navigation: Previous Page | Contents | Next Page