Nine Degree Channel
Encyclopedia
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
between the Laccadive Islands of Kalpeni
Kalpeni
Kalpeni is an inhabited island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It lies 71 km south of Androth and 201 km to the NNE of Minicoy, with the broad Nine Degree Channel between them...
and Suheli Par
Suheli Par
Suheli Par is a coral atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is located at , 52 km to the SW of Kavaratti, 76 km to the south of Agatti, 139 km to the west of Kalpeni and 205 km to the NNW of Minicoy, with the broad Nine Degree Channel between them. There are two uninhabited islands...
, and Maliku Atoll
Maliku Atoll
Maliku Atoll or Minicoy Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is located 201 km to the SSW of Kalpeni, at the southern end of the Nine Degree Channel and 125 km to the north of Thuraakunu, Maldives, at the northern end of the Eight Degree Channel. The...
. These two subgroups of islands, together with the Amindivi Subgroup, form the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Union Territory (UT)
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
of Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep , formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands, is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 440 km off the coast of the South West Indian state of Kerala...
.
The Channel is approximately 200 km wide with a depth of 2597 metres. The Investigator Bank
Investigator Bank
The Investigator Bank is a submerged bank or sunken atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is located 31 km to the northeast of Minicoy Island in the southern region of the Nine Degree Channel. Its minimum depth is 217 m. Depths in the neighborhood of the bank reach 914 meters...
is located in the southern region of the channel.
It is so named as it lies on the 9-degree line of Latitude
9th parallel north
The 9th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 9 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the Indian Ocean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Central America, South America and the Atlantic Ocean....
, north of the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
.