Andaman Sea

Andaman Sea

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

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).