Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean ?
- (a)Florida current
- (b)Canary current
- (c)Agulhas current
- (d)Kurile current
Correct — C, Agulhas current. The Agulhas Current is a warm western-boundary current of the south-west Indian Ocean; it flows southward along the east coast of southern Africa (off Mozambique and South Africa), making it the Indian Ocean current in the list. The other three belong to other oceans: the Florida and Canary currents are Atlantic, and the Kurile (Oyashio) current is Pacific.
- (a)Florida current — A warm current of the North Atlantic — it flows out of the Gulf of Mexico around Florida and feeds the Gulf Stream, so it is Atlantic, not Indian Ocean.
- (b)Canary current — A cold eastern-boundary current of the North Atlantic, flowing south past the Canary Islands and north-west Africa — an Atlantic Ocean current.
- (d)Kurile current — The cold Kurile (Oyashio) current flows south-west past the Kuril Islands in the North Pacific — a Pacific Ocean current, not Indian Ocean.
Ocean currents are classified by their ocean basin and as warm or cold, and they circulate in large gyres. In the Indian Ocean the notable currents include the warm Agulhas and Mozambique currents (south-west), the Somali current, the cold West Australian current, and the monsoon-reversing North Indian Ocean currents.
Sort each named current into its ocean: the Florida and Canary currents belong to the North Atlantic gyre; the Kurile/Oyashio current is North Pacific; only the Agulhas current is in the South Indian Ocean — so it is the answer.
- Agulhas Current — warm, western-boundary current of the South Indian Ocean (off south-east Africa)
- Florida Current — warm, North Atlantic (feeds the Gulf Stream)
- Canary Current — cold, North Atlantic (eastern boundary, off north-west Africa)
- Kurile / Oyashio Current — cold, North Pacific (off the Kuril Islands / Japan)
Only the Agulhas current is an Indian Ocean current, so the answer is (c).
- Assuming any current off Africa is Atlantic — the Agulhas is on Africa's Indian-Ocean (eastern) side
- Confusing the Kurile (Pacific) current with an Arctic or Atlantic current
UPPSC/UPSC ask you to match a current to its ocean or to classify it as warm or cold — learn each current's ocean and temperature character.
Consider the following statements: 1. Ocean currents are the slow surface movement of water in the ocean. 2. Ocean currents assist in maintaining the Earth's heat balance. 3. Ocean currents are set in motion primarily by prevailing winds. 4. Ocean currents are affected by the configuration of the ocean floor. Which of these statements are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2, 3 and 4
- (c) 1, 3 and 4
- (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Same topic — ocean currents. This UPSC question tests their nature, their role in Earth's heat balance and the forces (winds, floor configuration) that drive them, complementing this current-to-ocean identification question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The cold current flowing along the western coast of South America is the:
- (a)Humboldt (Peru) current
- (b)Brazil current
- (c)Benguela current
- (d)Kuroshio current
Answer(a) Humboldt (Peru) current — a cold current of the south-east Pacific, key to Peru's fisheries.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current of which ocean?
- (a)Atlantic Ocean
- (b)Pacific Ocean
- (c)Indian Ocean
- (d)Arctic Ocean
Answer(a) Atlantic Ocean — the Gulf Stream flows in the North Atlantic and moderates north-west Europe's climate.