Islands of the Indian Ocean

The islands of the Indian Ocean are a varied collection, including many of the smallest territories and one of the largest island nations (Madagascar). Many hug the coastlines of continents; others must be sought out hundreds of miles from any other land. The purpose of this page is to help you track down the less obvious examples, with several familiar ones added to help orientation.

The one thing they have in common was being affected by the tsunamis of Krakatoa in the 1880s, and on Boxing Day 2004, in both cases ranging from remarkable waves to inundation.

The subantarctic islands south of 45° latitude are categorized on this site as islands of the Southern Ocean, rather than islands of the Indian Ocean.

• The East African Islands are culturally associated with Africa, even though they are geographically isolated from the continent.
  • The -22.34388940.3672221 Scattered Islands of the Indian Ocean are part of France, including Glorioso Islands, Europa Island, Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island.
  • -12.343.72 Comoros
  • -12.84305645.1383333 Mayotte (France)
  • -20474 Madagascar
  • -7.152.7666675 Seychelles
  • Réunion (France)
  • -20.257.56 Mauritius
• 12.5153.727 Socotra (Yemen)
• 10.9472.778 Lakshadweep is a group of coral atolls part of India.
• The 4.0273.439 Maldives is home to gorgeous beaches, with a culture influenced by India and the Middle East.
• -6.571.4410 British Indian Ocean Territory (United Kingdom)
• 7.880.611 Sri Lanka is an island nation perched on the South Asian shelf.
• The 11.7292.6812 Andaman and Nicobar Islands are closer to Indonesia and Myanmar, yet a part of India. Only some islands of the Andaman group are open for visitors.
• -12.0796.8313 Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)
• -10.47105.6414 Christmas Island (Australia)
• -12.26123.0615 Ashmore and Cartier Islands (Australia)
• -37.82583377.55472216 Île Amsterdam and -38.7377.52222217 Île Saint-Paul are largely uninhabited remote islands of the Indian Ocean.