Java Sea


The Java Sea is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South China Sea. It is a part of the western Pacific Ocean.

Geography

The Java Sea covers the southern section of the Sunda Shelf.
A shallow sea, it has a mean depth of. It measures about east-west by north-south and occupies a total surface area of.
It formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The almost uniform flatness of the sea bottom and the presence of drainage channels indicate that the Sunda Shelf was once a stable, dry, low-relief land area above which were left standing a few monadnocks.

Extent

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the Java Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:

On the North. By the Southern limit of the South China Sea , the South coast of Borneo and the Southern limit of Makassar Strait .
On the East. By the Western limit of Flores Sea .
On the South. By the Northern and Northwestern limits of Bali Sea , the North and West coasts of Java to Java Hoofd its Western point, and thence a line to Vlakke Hoek the Southern extreme of Sumatra.
On the West. The East coast of Sumatra between Vlakke Hoek and Lucipara Point.

History

The Battle of the Java Sea from February to March 1942, was one of the costliest naval battles of World War II. The naval forces of the Netherlands, Britain, Australia, and the United States were nearly destroyed trying to defend Java from Japanese attack.
On 28 December 2014, Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea while en route to Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia. All 162 passengers and crew were killed.
On 29 October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta heading towards Depati Amir Airport in Pangkal Pinang. All 189 passengers and crew on board are presumed dead.

Economic activities

The southern section of the seafloor has long been recognized as geologically similar to northern Java, where oil fields occur and extend under the sea. Prospects are also favourable for oil fields in the waters off southeast Kalimantan. As the site of successful exploration for petroleum and natural gas, the Java Sea has become the basis of Indonesia's export program.
Fishing is an important economic activity in the Java Sea. Over 3,000 species of marine life are found in the area. A number of national parks exist in the area such as Karimunjawa. The Thousand Islands are located north of the national capital Jakarta, and are the city's only regency.
The area around the Java Sea is also a popular tourist destination. Scuba diving offers a chance to explore and photograph underwater caverns, wrecks, coral, sponges, and other marine life.