- Sunda Strait
The Sunda Strait (Indonesian: "Selat Sunda") is the
strait between theIndonesia n Islands of Java and the island ofSumatra . It connects theJava Sea to theIndian Ocean . The name comes from the Indonesian term "Pasundan", "West Java". ["Sunda Islands". Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. John Everett-Heath. Oxford University Press 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.]The strait stretches in a roughly north-east/south-west orientation, with a minimum width of 24 km (15 miles) at its north-eastern end between
Cape Tua on Sumatra andCape Pujat on Java. It is very deep at its western end but as it narrows it becomes much shallower, with a depth of only 20 m (65 feet) in parts of its eastern end. This makes it notoriously difficult to navigate, with sandbanks, very strong tidal flows and man-made obstructions such asoil rig s off the Java coast. It has been an important shipping route for centuries, especially during the period when theDutch East India Company used it as the gateway to theSpice Islands of Indonesia. The strait's narrowness, shallowness and lack of accurate charting make it unsuitable for many modern large ships, most of which use theStrait of Malacca instead.Donald B. Freeman, "The Straits of Malacca: Gateway Or Gauntlet?". McGill-Queen's Press, 2006.]The strait is dotted by a number of small islands, including
Sangiang (Thwart-the-Way),Sebesi ,Sebuku ,Panaitan (Prince's) and most notably, theKrakatoa Islands : Lang (Panjang or Rakata Kecil),Verlaten (Sertung),Krakatoa , andAnak Krakatoa . The islands in the strait and the nearby surrounding regions of Java and Sumatra were devastated by the eruption ofKrakatoa in 1883, primarily due to intense pumice fall and hugetsunami s caused by the collapse of the volcano. The eruption drastically altered the topography of the strait, with as much as 18-21 km³ ofignimbrite being deposited over an area of 1.1 million km² around the volcano. Some areas have never been resettled (such as the coastal region of Java now incorporated into theUjung Kulon National Park ), but much of the coastline is now very densely populated.On
March 1 ,1942 , theBattle of Sunda Strait - part of the largerBattle of the Java Sea - took place when the Alliedcruiser s HMAS Perth and USS Houston encountered aJapan ese amphibious landing force near Bantam commanded by Rear AdmiralKenzaburo Hara , which includedaircraft carrier s three cruisers and tendestroyer s. The two Allied cruisers were sunk but a Japanese minesweeper and a transport vessel were sunk by friendly fire.In the 1960s proposals were made for a bridge across the Sunda Strait, and in the 1990s further suggestions arose. In October 2007 the proposal to bridge the strait was made again and apparent construction and completion dates have been announced. The islands of Ular, Sangian and Prajurit will be utilised, and it will be convert|70|m|ft|0 above sea level to facilitate ease of passage for all shipping [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bridge-plan-to-link-java-and-sumatra/2007/10/04/1191091279251.html Bridge plan to link Java and Sumatra - World - theage.com.au ] ]
References
ee also
*
Malaccamax
*Kra Canal
*Lombok Strait
*Makassar Strait
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