Editing Sunda Strait (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Sunda Strait Map.png|thumb|right|Map of the Sunda Strait in 1729 by Pierre van der Aa]]
Extending in a roughly southwest/northeast orientation, with a minimum width of {{cvt|24|km}} at its northeastern end between Cape Tua on Sumatra and Cape Pujat on Java, the strait is part of the Java Sea.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf |title=Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition |year=1953 |publisher=International Hydrographic Organization |access-date=28 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf |archive-date=8 October 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Freeman">{{cite book |last1=Freeman |first1=Donald B. |title=Straits of Malacca: Gateway Or Gauntlet? |date=2003 |publisher=[[McGill-Queen's University Press]] |location=Montreal |isbn=0773525157 |url={{GBurl|CaiaOeNMg14C}}}}</ref> It is essentially triangular in shape, with two large bays on its northern side. It is also very broad and deep at its southwestern end, but as it narrows to the northeast it becomes much shallower, with a minimum depth of only {{cvt|20|m}} in parts of its northeastern end.<ref name="Freeman"/>

The strait is notoriously difficult to navigate because of this shallowness, very strong tidal currents, sandbanks, and man-made obstructions such as [[oil platform]]s off the Java coast.<ref name="Freeman"/>

For centuries, the strait was an important shipping route, especially during the period when the [[Dutch East India Company]] used it as the gateway to the [[Maluku Islands|Spice Islands]] of Indonesia (1602–1799). However, its narrowness, shallowness, and lack of accurate charting make it unsuitable for many modern, large ships, most of which use the [[Strait of Malacca]] instead.<ref name="Freeman"/>

The strait is dotted with a number of islands, many of which are volcanic in origin. They include: [[Sangiang]] (Thwart-the-Way), [[Sebesi]], [[Sebuku (Sumatra)|Sebuku]], and [[Panaitan]] (Prince's). The [[Krakatoa|1883 eruption of Krakatau]], one of these islands, had a profound effect on the area, both short and long term. Tsunamis and pyroclastic flows which floated on clouds of steam killed tens of thousands. Out of 3,000 people on nearby Sebesi at the time, not one survived. Some land was never resettled and became [[Ujung Kulon National Park]].

[[File:Port of Bakauheni and Siger Tower.JPG|thumb|[[Siger Tower]], [[Port of Bakauheni|Bakauheni]], Sumatra, at the strait's northeastern entrance]]

The Krakatoa eruption drastically altered the topography of the strait, with as much as 18–21&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup> of [[ignimbrite]] being deposited over an area of 1.1&nbsp;million km<sup>2</sup> around the volcano. However, the population has recovered and much of the coastline is now very densely populated. Aside from Krakatoa's sole remaining peak, [[Rakata]], the [[Krakatoa Archipelago]] consists of the islands of [[Lang Island|Lang]] (Panjang or Rakata Kecil), [[Verlaten]] (Sertung), and most recently, [[Anak Krakatau]], which emerged in 1927 from the original Krakatoa's shattered remains.