The maritime area defined by the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) in Special Publication S-23: Limits of Oceans and Seas (3rd Edition, 1953) encompasses the waters bordered by Africa to the west, Asia to the north, and Australia to the east, extending southward to 60°S latitude (as per the 2000 IHO revision recognising the Southern Ocean). The IOR includes the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden, Mozambique Channel, and other adjacent seas and straits.