Andaman Sea

Andaman Sea

Sea, eastern extension of the Bay of Bengal. Bounded by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula, and the Strait of Malacca and Sumatra, it covers some 308,000 sq mi (798,000 sq km). Trading vessels have plied the sea since ancient times. Part of the early coastal trade route between India and China, from the 8th century it formed a route between India (and Sri Lanka) and Myanmar. Its largest modern ports are George Town (Malaysia) and Yangôn (Myanmar). A large earthquake-generated tsunami in 2004 inundated many of the sea's coastal areas.

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Andaman Sea

part of the Bay of Bengal, between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Malay Peninsula

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Andaman Sea 

semi-inland sea of the Indian Ocean, between the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas on the east, the island of Sumatra on the south, and the Andaman and Nicobar islands on the west. The area of the sea is about 600,000 sq km, its mean depth is 1,096 m, its greatest depth is 4,198 m, and its volume of water is 660,000 cu km. The bottom is pebble, gravel, and sand. The climate is tropical, humid, and monsoonal. The air temperature in February is 26°C; in August, 27°C. Annual precipitation is more than 3,000 mm. The current in winter flows to the southwest and west; in the summer, to the east and southeast. The mean water temperature in February is between 26°C and 28°C; in May, about 29°C. Salinity is 31.5–32.5 parts per thousand in summer, 30.0–33.0 parts per thousand in winter; in northern sections it declines to 20–25 parts per thousand as a result of river inflow. Tides are semidiurnal, up to 7.2 m. At depths of more than 1,600 m, the temperature remains unchanged down to the bottom (4.8°C). Fauna includes the Irawaddy dolphin, dugong, flying fish, southern herring, reef fish, sailfish, and others. The main ports are Rangoon (Burma) and Penang (Georgetown, Malaysia).