Makassar Strait is a
strait between the islands of
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
and
Sulawesi in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. To the north it joins the
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea, (; ms, Laut Sulawesi, id, Laut Sulawesi, fil, Dagat Selebes) or Sulawesi Sea, of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east b ...
, while to the south it meets the
Java Sea. To the northeast, it forms the
Sangkulirang Bay south of the
Mangkalihat Peninsula. The strait is an important regional shipping route in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
.
The
Mahakam River
The Mahakam River ( Indonesian: ''Sungai Mahakam'') is third longest and volume discharge river in Borneo after Kapuas River and Barito River, it is located in Kalimantan, Indonesia. It flows from the district of Long Apari in the highlands o ...
and
Karangan River of Borneo empty into the strait.
Ports along the strait include
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated ...
and
Bontang in Borneo, and
Makassar,
Palu
Palu, which is officially known as the City of Palu ( Indonesian: ''Kota Palu''), is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi. Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi and borders Donggala Regency to the north and west, Par ...
, and
Parepare in Sulawesi. The city of
Samarinda
Samarinda is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The city lies on the banks of the Mahakam River with a land area of . Samarinda ranks first on East Kalimantan Human Development Index and it ...
is 48 km (30 mi) from the strait, along the Mahakam.
Extent
The
International Hydrographic Organization
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental organisation representing hydrography. , the IHO comprised 98 Member States.
A principal aim of the IHO is to ensure that the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters a ...
(IHO) defines the Makassar Strait as being one of the waters of the
East Indian Archipelago
The East Indian Archipelago is an area designated by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). It encompasses twelve seas, two gulfs, and one strait in the East Indies (Southeast Asia).
Seas
In draft 4 of the IHO's publication S-23 ''Li ...
. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
The channel between the East coast of Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
and the West coast of Celebes Sulawesi.html" ;"title="/nowiki> Sulawesi">/nowiki> Sulawesi/nowiki>, is bounded:
''On the North.'' By a line joining Tanjong Mangkalihat, Borneo () and Stroomen Kaap ( Cape Binar), Celebes ().
''On the South.'' By a line from the Southwestern extreme of Celebes (), through the Southern point of Tana Keke, to the Southern extreme of Laoet () thence up the West coast of that island to Tanjong Kiwi and thence across to Tanjong Petang, Borneo () at the Southern end of Laoet Strait.
Gallery
File:Pulau Beras Basah.jpg, Beras Basah Island in Makassar Strait, administrative part of Bontang.
File:USS Midway (CV-41) carrier battle group underway in Makassar Strait on 28 September 1985 (6408112).jpeg, USS ''Midway'' (CV-41) and other warships in Makassar Strait, 28 September 1985.
File:MV. QAL Ranger (2005-11-14).jpg, Offshore oil rig in Makassar Strait, 2005.
File:Pulau Aur (Kalimantan Selatan).jpg, Aur island, administrative part of South Kalimantan.
File:65 Indonesians saved from tragedy by U.S. Marines, Sailors 150610-M-ST621-142.jpg, KM Arista ship sunk in Makassar Strait, 10 June 2015.
See also
*
Battle of Makassar Strait
The Battle of Makassar Strait, also known as the Action of Madura Strait, the Action North of Lombok Strait and the Battle of the Flores Sea, was a naval battle of the Pacific theater of World War II. An American-British-Dutch-Australian (AB ...
*
USS Makassar Strait
*
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
*
Sunda Strait
*
Lombok Strait
The Lombok Strait ( id, Selat Lombok), is a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, and is located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side.
Its narrowest point is at its southern ...
*
Wallace Line
The Wallace Line or Wallace's Line is a faunal boundary line drawn in 1859 by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and named by English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley that separates the biogeographical realms of Asia and Wallacea, a trans ...
*
Sadang River
References
Landforms of Sulawesi
Straits of Indonesia
Bodies of water of the Celebes Sea
Landforms of South Sulawesi
Landforms of Central Sulawesi
Landforms of East Kalimantan
Landforms of Kalimantan
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