Java Sea: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:55, 10 September 2005

Revision as of 14:11, 5 October 2005

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[[Image:java sea.jpg|right|Map of Java Sea]]

[[Image:java sea.jpg|right|Map of Java Sea]]The '''Java Sea''' ('''Jawa Sea''') is a large (310,000 km²), shallow sea in the southern [[Pacific Ocean]]. It was formed toward the end of the last [[ice age]] when two large river systems were drowned out. It lies in the midst of the [[Indonesia]]n islands of [[Borneo]] to the north, [[Java (island)|Java]] to the south; [[Sumatra]] to the west, and [[Sulawesi]] (Celebes) to the east. To the northwest, the [[Karimata Strait]] links it to the [[South China Sea]].

Fishing is an important economic activity in the Java Sea. There are over 3,000 species of marine life in the area.

The area around the Java Sea is a popular [[tourist]] destination. [[Scuba diving]] offers a chance to explore and photograph underwater caverns, wrecks, [[coral]], [[sponge]]s, and other marine life. A number of national parks exist in the area. Near [[Jakarta]], in the [[Thousand Islands group(Indonesia)|Thousand Islands]], is Ujong[[Ujung Kulon National Park]]. Karimun Java is a national park comprising twenty-seven islands. Menjagan Island, near [[Bali]], is in a secluded national park.

The Java Sea was the site of one of the costliest (to the [[Allies]]) [[Battle_of_the_Java_Sea|naval battle]]s of [[World War II]], in February and March of 1942. The naval forces of the [[Netherlands]], [[Britain]], [[Australia]], and the U.S. were nearly completely destroyed trying to defend Java from [[Japan]]ese attack.