The Arabian Sea is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, and on the east by India. It has been a central maritime trade route since the era of the coastal sailing vessels known as dhows. The sea's climate and currents are dominated by the monsoon system, which reverses direction twice a year, dictating historical trade patterns across the Indian Ocean. Geologically, it contains the Owen Fracture Zone and the Indus Fan, one of the largest sediment deposits in the world. The Arabian Sea is also home to an 'Oxygen Minimum Zone' (OMZ)—a vast area of water with very low oxygen levels that is expanding due to global warming and nutrient runoff. Despite this, it remains a rich fishing ground and a critical corridor for oil tankers traveling from the Persian Gulf to Asia and Europe.