
Location of the Banda Sea within Southeast Asia
The 'Banda Sea' is the
sea of the
South Moluccas in
Indonesia, technically part of the
Pacific Ocean but separated from it by hundreds of islands, as well as the
Halmahera and
Ceram Seas. It is about 1000 km (600 mi) east to west, and about 500 km (300 mi) north to south.
Islands bordering the Banda Sea include
Sulawesi to the west,
Buru,
Ambon Island,
Ceram,
Aru Islands,
Tanimbar Islands,
Barat Daya Islands, and
Timor. Although the borders of the sea are hazardous to
navigation, with many small rocky islands, the middle of the sea is relatively open. Island groups within the sea include the
Banda Islands.
Earthquakes are very frequent in the area, due to the confluence of three tectonic plates - Eurasian, Pacific and Indo-Australian plates.
See also
★
List of Indonesian earthquakes
★
1938 Banda Sea earthquake
★
2005 Banda Sea earthquake
★
List of volcanoes in Indonesia#Banda_Sea
Further reading
★ Ponder, H. W. (1944) ''In Javanese waters; some sidelights on a few of the countless lovely, little known islands scattered over the Banda sea & some glimpses of their strange & stormy history'' London, Seeley, Service & Co. ltd.