Arafura Sea

Almost everyday, we hear of one sea or the other. Many can have harsh weather conditions, high salt concentration,or even be the habitat to some of the deadliest animals in the world.

Other seas can have moderate salt concentration, moderate weather conditions, or be home to a large number of friendly animal species. Seas in the world most times, vary in size, depth, and also in nature. Many of these seas can date back to millions of years ago, and some can be just several thousands of years back. But as a child, there are special seas you need to know about. One of them includes the Arafura Sea, which is located between the countries of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, as well as Australia.

The entire Arafura sea is well known to have wonderful characteristics that thrill children almost everyday. Below are a few interesting things you as a child should know.

Arafura Sea Facts for Kids

• Overtime, the sea of Arafura became a major connection for both Australia and New Guinea. The Arafura sea lies just over the Arafura Shelf, and during the last ice age of earth, a bridge was formed from the Arafura Shelf, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait, thereby making it easy for humans to have moved from Asia to Australia.
• The entire sea of Arafura has its coastline near the countries of Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea and is located just west of the Pacific Ocean. Majorly ,the sea is located between the northern coast of Australia and the southern coast of New Guinea. Towards its west, it joins with another sea known as the Timor sea, and then towards its west it is connected to the Coral sea through the Torres Strait.
• There have been many suggestions regarding the name of the Arafura sea. Many believe the sea’s name is from Indonesia and is of the name for “the people of moutains”. In the past as well, many believed the sea got its name from the Portuguese word, “Alfours”, which means “free men”.
• The Arafura sea is 1,290 kilometers long, and 560 kilometers wide. The sea is a large sea and is as deep as 50 – 80 meters, although, it deepens as you near its western edge.
• Fishing is a very common practice around the areas of the Arafura sea. It is an habitat to several species of fishes which are economically important. Some species you can find in the Arafura sea include shrimp, grouper, Penaeid, Nemipteridae, as well as Barramundi fishes.
• The Arafura sea is home to several islands. Islands such as Goulburn Islands, Howard island, Croker islands, and Aru islands. Although, some of these islands belong to the Australian province of Northern Territory.
• The temperature of the sea is moderate, which solely contributes to the presence of sea animals in the sea. The sea’s temperature is known to vary with seasons. During the winter, the sea has a temperature of about 26°C , and during summer, its temperature rises to about 28°C. Not too cold and not too hot for its inhabitants.
• Salinity or salt concentration in the sea is moderate, with 33% to 35% of the entire sea containing salt.
• The Arafura sea does not have as much river as other seas. Major rivers are not found in the Arafura sea, except just one, which is known as the Digul River.
• Inhabitants of the sea and its islands are few. It has about 93,000 people living around the Sea

Question: Which Of Its Islands Is The Largest?

Answer: The Aru Islands of the Arafura Sea is known to be the largest of all the islands.

Question: Can Large Ships Sail Across The Arafura Sea?

Answer: Because of the sea’s low depth, large ships may find it difficult to sail across.