Sunda Strait
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The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean.
It is about 30 km wide at its narrowest point, which is at the north end, but this is a short section, about 30 km long, and then it opens out to about 100 km for another 100 km. There are a number of small islands in the strait, these include: Thwart-the-Way (modern Indonesian:Sangiang), Sebesi, Sebuku, Princess (modern Indo.: Panaitan) and most notably, the Krakatoa Islands: Lang (Panjang or Rakata Kecil), Verlaten (Sertung), Krakatoa, and Anak Krakatoa).
The strait is an important shipping channel; it and the Strait of Malacca are the main passages from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. The Sunda Strait is much shorter than the Malacca Strait, but the latter is narrower and contains more dangerous rocks. Both have long been plagued by pirates.
The islands in the strait and the surrounding regions of Java and Sumatra were devastated by the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, primarily due to intense pumice fall and great tsunamis. Some areas have never been resettled.
On March 1, 1942, the Battle of Sunda Strait was fought here. A Japanese force commanded by Rear Admiral Kenzaburo Hara sank the Allied cruisers USS Houston and HMAS Perth as they attempted to prevent Japanese landings on Java.
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