Celebes Sea
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Celebes Sea |
The
Celebes Sea (or the
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
Sulawesi, and on the west by
Borneo. The Sea is in the form of a huge basin, and plunges as deep as 6,200 m. It extends 420 miles (675 km) north-south by 520 miles (837 km) east-west and has a total surface area of 110,000 square miles (280,000 square km). The sea opens southwest through the
Makassar Strait into the
Java Sea.
The Celebes Sea is a piece of an ancient
ocean basin that formed 42 million years ago in a setting far from any land mass. By 20 million years ago, crustal movement had pushed the Celebes basin close enough to the
Indonesian and Philippine
volcanoes to receive volcanic debris. By 10 million years ago the Celebes Sea was inundated with continental debris, including
coal, which was shed from a rapidly growing young mountain on Borneo and the basin had docked against Eurasia.
The border between the Celebes and the Sulu Sea is at the Sibutu-Basilan Ridge. Strong
ocean currents, deep
sea trenches and
sea mounts, combined with active
volcanic islands, result in complex
oceanographic features.
The Celebes Sea has somewhat attained an international notoriety for its
pirates who prey not only on small time fishermen but also giant container ships. Nowadays, these pirates have high-tech weapons and equipments like
radar and
GPS navigation devices and ride on high-speed motorboats.
The Celebes Sea is home to a wide variety of fish and aquatic creatures. The tropical setting and warm clear waters permit it to harbor about 580 of the world's 793 species of reef-building
corals, which grow as some of the most bio-diverse coral reefs in the world, and an impressive array of marine life, including
whales and
dolphins,
sea turtles,
manta rays,
eagle rays,
barracuda,
marlin and other reef and
pelagic species.
Tuna and
yellow fin tuna are also abundant.
In addition to high abundance of fish caught in the Celebes sea, this sea also yields other aquatic products like sea tang.
An important transport route for trade and commerce in the region. It is a popular site for deep sea
diving and luxury ocean cruising.
Related articles:
*
Davao Gulf*
Moro Gulf*
Coastal areas of Sarangani*
Sarangani Bay*
Maitum, Sarangani
