East Indian Archipelago


The East Indian Archipelago is an area designated by the International [Hydrographic Organization]. It encompasses twelve seas, two gulfs, and one strait in the East Indies.

Seas

In draft 4 of the IHO's publication S-23 Limits of [Oceans and Seas], 2002, the area is described in a chapter under the heading South China & Eastern Archipelagic Seas.
The waters of the East Indian Archipelago are:
  1. Arafura Sea –
  2. Timor Sea –
  3. Celebes Sea –
  4. Banda Sea –
  5. Java Sea –
  6. Sulu Sea –
  7. Molucca Sea –
  8. Flores Sea –
  9. Seram Sea –
  10. Savu Sea –
  11. Halmahera Sea –
  12. Bali Sea –
  13. Gulf of Boni
  14. Gulf of Tomini
  15. Makassar Strait
Six of the seas, the two gulfs, and the strait are wholly waters of Indonesia. The Sulu Sea, lying between the Philippines and Sabah, is not in Indonesian waters. The other five seas are partially Indonesian.
Five countries have exclusive economic zones that extend into one or more of the five seas that are partially Indonesian. Apart from the Sulu Sea, Philippine and Malaysian EEZs also extend into the Celebes Sea. The East Timor EEZ is wholly within the Savu, Banda, and Timor Seas. Australia's EEZ extends into both the Timor and Arafura Seas and Papua New Guinea's EEZ extends into the Arafura Sea from its far southwest coast.