8 Facts about the Java Sea

The Java Sea, like any other major geographical structure, has a long, rich history. Ever since its formation because of the ice flow, the Java Sea has evolved into a fascinating structure with lots of amazing attributes to it.

Here are some of the Java Sea facts that are definitely worth knowing.

1. Location

The Java Sea lies in the Sunda Shelf and is situated amidst the Indonesian islands of Borneo towards the north, Java towards the south, Sumatra to the west and Sulawesi towards the east. It is connected to the South China Sea through the Karimata Strait. The Java Sea is a part of the western Pacific Ocean.

Due to its unique location, the Java Sea happens to be the connecting link between regional ports which are a treasure of cultural diversity.

2. Group of islands – Sunda

The Java Sea is inhabited by a group of islands. The Java island chain known as Sunda runs across the entire area of the Java Sea.

Most of these islands belong to Indonesia, along with other countries.

3. Size – Shallow Waters

Even though not much is known about the Java Sea in terms of tourism, it is in fact a large sea, made of shallow waters. The average depth of water in this sea is 151 feet which runs across its entire sprawl. It covers a large area of about 320,000 square kilometres on the Sunda shelf. Even though this sea is not a very famous cruising option, the islands located in it are exquisite and rich with cultural history, a great choice for an enriching vacation.

4. Rich underwater life

Though the main attraction of the Java Sea is its thriving trading route, it is one of the lesser know Java Sea facts that the marine life of Java Sea is extremely rich and diverse.

Karimunjawa, the Java Sea underwater garden is a rich pool of marine life diversity that can be flaunted by a single water body.

5. Battle of Java Sea

One of the most enthralling Java Sea facts is its association with the battles of World War II. During World War II, a number of battles occurred in this region but at the end of February 1942, the battle of Java Sea occurred between the allied forces and the Japanese convoys. In an attempt to intercept the Japanese convoys, the allied forces marched their armies through the Java Sea. However, they were not a match good enough for the Japanese.

The battle ended with five warships of the Allied forces being destroyed and the battle of Java Sea went down the history as one of the costliest battles of entire World War II.

6. The Formation of the Sunda Shelf

The Sunda shelf which is actually a group of islands suspended in the Java Sea is believed to have been actually above sea level at a time. Following studies conducted on these islands, the results have made it clear that these islands are actually eroded metamorphic remains of the regions that were above sea level once.

However, today, Sunda Shelf marks one of the main features of the Java Sea.

7. Sea bed secrets

The Java Sea has a lot of secrets within it. The first would be all the flora and fauna species that call this shallow sea their home. Besides these, the Java Sea is supposed to be the bed for treasures of the past like none other. Wrecks of ships are reportedly still beneath the water here which makes it a good choice for historians to probe secrets of the past, along with making those wrecks great habitats for other species like the coral reefs and fish. The wreck of a ship called Indono that sank in 1955 is still in the Java Sea, near the waters of Karimunjawa.

The Java Sea has a rich history that goes back a long way. Over its entire life, this sea has seen a lot and holds a lot of amazing facts to its credit. With its rich biodiversity and power for sustenance, this sea continues to be one of the most important waterways in the world.

8. Piracy Activities

The Java Sea has been in news for quite some time now because of the numerous piracy activities taking place there.  These activities have drastically increased in the past few years.

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