submarine ridge of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The ridge is a portion of the Mid-Indian Ridge and extends from near Rodrigues Island to the Gulf of Aden (Aden, Gulf of), trending basically northwest to southeast. The ridge separates the Arabian Sea to the northeast from the Somali Basin to the southwest.

The mean depth of the Carlsberg Ridge is between some 6,000 and 12,000 feet (1,800 and 3,600 metres) below the sea surface, and it rises to a mean elevation of about 7,000 feet (2,100 metres) above the seafloor. The ridge turns westward around the island of Socotra and eventually connects with the East African Rift System by way of the Gulf of Aden. The Carlsberg Ridge coincides with the belt of seismic activity in the Indian Ocean.