Sunda Strait

The Sunda Strait ( id, Selat Sunda) is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea with the Indian Ocean.

Etymology

The strait takes its name from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled the western portion of Java (an area covering the present day West Java, Jakarta, Banten, and some of western Central Java) from 669 to around 1579."Sunda Islands". Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. John Everett-Heath. Oxford University Press 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.

The name also alludes to the Sundanese people native to West Java and Banten, as distinct from the Javanese people, who live mostly in Central and East Java.

Geography

Extending in a roughly southwest/northeast orientation, with a minimum width of at its northeastern end between Cape Tua on Sumatra and Cape Pujat on Java, the strait is part of the Java Sea. It is essentially triangular in shape, with two large bays on its northern side. It is also very broad and deep at its southwestern end, but as it narrows to the northeast it becomes much shallower, with a minimum depth of only in parts of its northeastern end.

The strait is notoriously difficult to navigate because of this shallowness, very strong tidal currents, sandbanks, and man-made obstructions such as oil platforms off the Java coast.

For centuries, the strait was an important shipping route, especially during the period when the Dutch East India Company used it as the gateway to the Spice Islands of Indonesia (1602–1799). However, its narrowness, shallowness, and lack of accurate charting make it unsuitable for many modern, large ships, most of which use the Strait of Malacca instead.

The strait is dotted with a number of islands, many of which are volcanic in origin. They include: Sangiang (Thwart-the-Way), Sebesi, Sebuku, and Panaitan (Prince's). The most famous of the islands, however, is Krakatoa, which exploded in 1883 in one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded history. The islands in the strait and the nearby surrounding regions of Java and Sumatra were devastated in that eruption, primarily due to the intense pumice fall and the huge tsunamis the eruption caused.

The Krakatoa eruption drastically altered the topography of the strait, with as much as 18–21 km³ of ignimbrite being deposited over an area of 1.1 million km² around the volcano. Some areas, such as the coastal region of Java now incorporated into the Ujung Kulon National Park, have never been resettled, but much of the coastline is now very densely populated. Aside from Krakatoa's sole remaining peak, Rakata, the Krakatoa Archipelago consists of the islands of Lang (Panjang or Rakata Kecil), Verlaten (Sertung), and most recently, Anak Krakatau, which emerged in 1927 from the original Krakatoa's shattered remains.

Battle of Sunda Strait

On March 1, 1942, the Battle of Sunda Strait—part of the larger Battle of the Java Sea—took place when the Allied cruisers HMAS ''Perth'' and USS ''Houston'' encountered a Japanese amphibious landing force near Bantam, commanded by Rear Admiral Kenzaburo Hara. That force included a light cruiser and eleven destroyers, four heavy cruisers and a light aircraft carrier. The two Allied cruisers were sunk, while a Japanese minesweeper and a transport vessel were sunk by friendly fire.

Planned bridge

In the 1960s proposals were made for a bridge across the Sunda Strait, and in the 1990s further suggestions arose. A new plan was announced in October 2007. It would use the islands of Ular, Sangiang and Prajurit to create a four-part suspension bridge reaching above sea level. This bridge would have a maximum span of 3 kilometers, nearly 50% longer than the current record holder, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. Construction was projected to begin in 2014 if funding of at least US$10 billion could be secured.

An accord was signed in April 2012 with China Railway Construction Corporation for an $11 billion road and double track rail bridge.Railway Gazette International June 2012 p25 However, in November 2014 the incoming government of President Joko Widodo shelved plans to build the bridge.Satria Sambijantoro,
No more Sunda Strait Bridge plan'
''The Jakarta Post'', 3 November 2014. See also
New Government Will Not Prioritize Sunda Strait Bridge Project'
, '' Global Indonesian Voices'', 2 November 2014.

Islands in the strait

* Calmeyer
*Krakatau Archipelago
** Anak Krakatau
** Krakatau, mostly destroyed volcanic island
*** Danan (volcano), destroyed volcanic cone on Krakatau
*** Perboewatan, destroyed volcanic cone on Krakatau
*** Rakata, partially destroyed volcanic cone and remnant of original island
** Poolsche Hoed, destroyed in 1883 eruption of Krakatoa
** Panjang, or Rakata Ketjil (Lang)
** Sertung (Verlaten)
* Legundi
* Panaitan (Prince's Island)

* Sangiang (Thwart-the-way)
* Sebesi
* Sebuku
* Steers (island)
* Tabuan

Bays

* Lampung Bay, Sumatra
* Semangka Bay, Sumatra

Gallery of nearby important channels

File:Tamil Nadu topo deutsch mit Gebirgen.png, Gulf of Mannar
File:Andaman_nicobar_76.jpg, Cocos Strait, Duncan Passage and other Indian channels
File:Andaman_Islands.PNG, Cocos Strait is at the northern end of Andaman Islands in red square
File:India_Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islands_relief_map.png, Ten Degrees Channel
File:Ten_Degree_Channel,_Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islands,_India.png, Ten Degrees Channel, closeup
File:Strait_of_malacca.jpg, Malacca Strait
File:Straits_of_Singapore_locator_map.PNG, Singapore Strait
File:Sunda_Strait_map-fr.svg, Sunda Strait
File:Lombok_strait.png, Lombok Strait
File:My-map.png, South China Sea, Malacca Strait, Gulf of Thailand, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea

See also

; Geostrategic context
* Andaman and Nicobar Command
* Andaman Sea
* Bay of Bengal
* Exclusive economic zone of Indonesia
* Exclusive economic zone of India

; Local context
* Sunda Straits Crisis
* Java Head
* Kra Canal
* Lombok Strait
* Makassar Strait
* Malaccamax
* List of road-rail bridges
* 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami

References

{{Authority control

Landforms of Banten
Landforms of Java
Landforms of Sumatra
Java Sea
Straits of the Indian Ocean
Western Indo-Pacific