The Java Sea covers the southern section of the 1,790,000 km2 (690,000 sq mi) Sunda Shelf. A shallow sea, it has a mean depth of 46 m (151 ft). It measures about 1,600 km (990 mi) east-west by 380 km (240 mi) north-south and occupies a total surface area of 320,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi).[1]
It formed as sea levels rose at the end of the lastice age.[5] Its almost uniformly flat 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 fewmonadnocks (granite hills that, due to their resistance to erosion, form the present islands).
TheBattle of the Java Sea from February to March 1942, was one of the costliestnaval battles ofWorld War II. The naval forces of the Netherlands, Britain, Australia, and the United States were nearly destroyed trying to defend Java from Japanese attack.[7][8]
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 favorable for oil fields in the waters off southeastKalimantan. As the site of successful exploration for petroleum and natural gas, the Java Sea has become the basis of Indonesia's export program.[citation needed]
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 asKarimunjawa. TheThousand Islands are located north of the national capitalJakarta, and are the city's onlyregency.[citation needed]
^Massola, James; Rompies, Karuni; Rosa, Amilia; Noyes, Jenny (29 October 2018)."Lion Air flight crashes in Indonesia".The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved29 October 2018.
Touwen, Jeroen, ed. (2001).Shipping and Trade in the Java Sea Region, 1870–1940: A Collection of Statistics on the Major Java Sea Ports.ISBN90-6718-162-5.
