| Natuna Sea | |
|---|---|
| Laut Natuna (Indonesian) | |
  Natuna Sea Natuna Sea in Indonesia Show map of Indonesia | |
 Natuna and North Natuna Sea | |
| Coordinates | 1°N107°E / 1°N 107°E /1; 107 |
| Type | Sea |
| Basin countries | Indonesia |
TheNatuna Sea (Indonesian:Laut Natuna) is an extensiveshallow sea located around theNatuna Regency, extending south of theRiau Islands, east of theLingga Regency and west ofBorneo, to theBangka Belitung Islands. The islands of theBadas andTambelan Archipelago are located at its center. Mostly located withinIndonesian territorial waters, it is the southernmost portion of theSouth China Sea, and geologically part ofSunda Shelf. It communicates with theJava Sea to its southeast via theKarimata andGaspar Strait east and west ofBelitung, and with theStrait of Malacca to the west via theBerhala andSingapore Strait.[1][2]
TheInternational Hydrographic Organization (IHO), in itsLimits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition (1953), does not list a Natuna Sea. Instead, the area encompassed by the Natuna Sea is considered the southern portion of the South China Sea.[3] The 1986 draft of the IHO'sLimits of Oceans and Seas proposed the Natuna Sea, which extends south from the Natuna and Anambas Islands to the Belitung Islands.[4]
In July 2017, Indonesia renamed the northern reaches of itsexclusive economic zone in the South China Sea as the "North Natuna Sea", which is located north of the IndonesianNatuna Regency, bordering southern Vietnam's exclusive economic zone.[5][6] The North Natuna Sea is located between the Natuna Islands andCape Cà Mau on the southern tip of theMekong Delta in Vietnam.
