Sri Lanka's strategic position makes it vital to securing major sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean. To the south, the island's coast fronts the greater Indian Ocean, and to the north it opens to that ocean's marginal seas: the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay and the Bay of Bengal. It sits approximately halfway between the Suez and the Strait of Malacca, the key maritime chokepoints to the east and west, and along routes from the Strait of Hormuz, which most of Asia's energy supplies transit. The island has a number of natural harbors along its coast: Colombo and Galle in the southwest, Hambantota in the southeast, Trincomalee in the east and Jaffna in the north. A string of islands prevents large ships from passing through Palk Bay, preventing India's southern coast from becoming an international maritime hub and making Sri Lanka's ports a better option.