Java Sea | Map, History, & Facts

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-11T00:00:00CST" >Nov 11, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Java-Sea/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Indonesian: </dt> <dd>Laut Jawa</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Java-Sea"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/russian-indonesian-navies-hold-joint-counter-terrorism-drills" rel="nofollow">Russian, Indonesian navies hold joint counter-terrorism drills</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 10, 2024, 3:10 PM ET (Straits Times) </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref250490"></span>Java Sea</strong>, portion of the western <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Pacific-Ocean" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pacific Ocean</a> between the islands of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Java-island-Indonesia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Java</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Borneo-island-Pacific-Ocean" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Borneo</a>. It is bordered by Borneo (Kalimantan) on the north, the southern end of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Makassar-Strait" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Makassar Strait</a> on the northeast, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Celebes" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Celebes</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Flores-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Flores</a> and Bali seas on the east, Java on the south, the Sunda Straits to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Indian-Ocean" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indian Ocean</a> on the southwest, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sumatra" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sumatra</a> on the west, and the islands of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bangka" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Bangka</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Belitung" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Belitung</a> (bordering the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-China-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South China Sea</a>) on the northwest. The sea measures about 900 miles (1,450 km) east-west by 260 miles (420 km) north-south and occupies a total surface area of 167,000 square miles (433,000 square km). It covers the southern section of the 690,000-square-mile (1,790,000-square-km) <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sunda-Shelf" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sunda Shelf</a>. A shallow sea, it has a mean depth of 151 feet (46 metres). The almost uniform flatness of the sea bottom and the presence of drainage channels (traceable to the mouths of island rivers) indicate that the Sunda Shelf was once a stable, dry, low-relief land area (peneplain) above which were left standing a few monadnocks (granite hills that by virtue of their resistance to erosion form the present islands). During the glacial stages of low sea levels, at least parts of the shelf were exposed above the sea to serve as land bridges for Asiatic fauna to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="migrate" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/migrate" data-type="EB">migrate</a> into western <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Indonesia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Indonesia</a>. From September through May surface currents in the sea flow west. For the rest of the year they trend eastward. The large discharge from rivers on the surrounding islands tends to lower salinity levels in the sea.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">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 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kalimantan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Kalimantan</a>. As the site of successful exploration for petroleum and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/natural-gas" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">natural gas</a>, the Java Sea has become the basis of Indonesia’s export program.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The sea was the scene of a <span id="ref250491"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Java-Sea" class="md-crosslink ">battle</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a> between the Allies and the Japanese. Fought on February 27, 1942, the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="encounter" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/encounter" data-type="EB">encounter</a> resulted in a serious defeat for Allied naval forces; they lost five ships in the battle, and the next day Japanese forces were able to begin their invasion of the island of Java.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/water-and-its-varying-forms" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/157502-131-7C5D3A67/water-glass-background.jpg" alt="water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Water and its Varying Forms</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Amy-Tikkanen/6393">Amy Tikkanen</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":301727,"pageLength":372,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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