Arafura Sea

The Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean on the top of the continental ledge between Australia and New GuineaIt is surrounded by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Timor Sea to the west , the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, and the Banda and Ceram seas to the northwest

Coverage Area

The sea is nearly 1290 kilometers (800 miles) long and 560 kilometers (350 miles) wideThe depth of the sea is primarily 50-80 meters (165-265 feet) and the depth increases to the westThe sea lies above the Arafura Shelf, part of the Sahul ShelfThe sea levels were low during the last glacial maximum, the Arafura Shelf, the Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait formed a large flat land bridge connecting Australia and New Guinea and easing migration of humans from Asia into Australia

Naming: The name first appeared in use in GW Earl's 1837 as "Sailing Directions for the Arafura" which is translated from earlier Dutch mariner explorations.The Arafura Sea name is from the native name for "the people of mountains" in the Moluccas (part of Indonesia) as identified by Dutch Lieutenants Kolff and Modera in the 1830s"

Ecosystem

It is a suitable place for shrimp and demersal fishingShrimp available in this sea are penaeid sp in addition to basic fishes, nemipteridae sp and other kind of fish

List of Seas in Pacific Ocean

Major ports and harbours in Pacific Ocean