Makassar Strait () is a

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

between the islands of

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

and

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. To the north it joins the

Celebes Sea The Celebes Sea ( ; ) 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 by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawes ...

, while to the south it meets the

Java Sea The Java Sea (, ) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South Ch ...

. 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 is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. The

Mahakam River The Mahakam River ( Indonesian: ''Sungai Mahakam'') is third longest river (with the third greatest volume discharge) in Borneo after the Kapuas River and the Barito River, it is located in East Kalimantan province of Indonesia. It flows from ...

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 20 ...

and

Bontang Bontang is a city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo in Indonesia, in the province of East Kalimantan. It occupies an area of , and the population was 140,787 at the 2010 census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 178,917 at t ...

in Borneo, and

Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...

Palu Palu, officially known as the City of Palu ( Indonesian: ''Kota Palu''), is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi and borders Donggala Regency to the north ...

, and

Parepare Parepare is a city (''kota'') in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, located on the southwest coast of Sulawesi, about north of the provincial capital of Makassar. A port town, it is one of the major population centers of the Bugis people. The city had ...

in Sulawesi. The city of

Samarinda Samarinda is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, 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 was one of Indonesia's top ten City qu ...

is 48 km (30 mi) from the strait, along the Mahakam.

Extent

The

International Hydrographic Organization The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) (French: ''Organisation Hydrographique Internationale'') is an intergovernmental organization representing hydrography. the IHO comprised 102 member states. A principal aim of the IHO is to ...

(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 '' L ...

. The IHO defines its limits as follows:

The channel between the East coast of
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
and the West coast of Celebes [
Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...
], is bounded: ''On the North.'' By a line joining Mangkalihat Peninsula, Tanjong Mangkalihat, Borneo () and Stroomen Kaap (Tolitoli Regency, 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.

Geology

The Makassar Strait and North Makassar Basin is the result of back-arc extension due to the subduction of a small tectonic slab to the east. Rifting began in the Eocene, with high sedimentation rates filling the extension basin throughout the Eocene through Miocene. These Miocene basin sediments hold very large amounts of oil and natural gas deposits, especially in the hydrocarbon rich Kutei Basin. The arrival of the Benggai Sula microplate has rotated the Island of Sulawesi in a counter-clockwise direction, allowing opening of the southern Makassar Basin with accommodation by the Adang/Paternoster Fault.

Gallery

File:Pulau Beras Basah.jpg, Beras Basah Island in Makassar Strait, administrative part of

. 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.

References

Landforms of Sulawesi Landforms of Kalimantan Straits of Indonesia Straits of the Java Sea Bodies of water of the Celebes Sea {{Indonesia-geo-stub

Extent

Geology

Gallery

See also

References