Between the islands of Borneo (Kalimantan) and Sulawesi in Indonesia is the Makassar Strait, where in 1942 a naval battle broke out. In the north, it is connected with the Celebes Sea, and in the south - with the Yavan. The Mahakam River flows along Borneo and flows into the strait. The ports of Balikpapan, Makasar and Palu are located along it. The city of Samarind is 48 km (30 miles) up the Mahaks. The strait is a common shipping route for ocean ships too large to sail through the Strait of Malacca.
Formation mechanism
The location of the Makassar Strait in the "country of a thousand islands" continues to cause great debate. Scientists have proposed several hypotheses explaining its evolution. The only agreement between these theories is that both islands once lay close to each other, and that their separation was connected with the appearance of the Makassar Strait. However, the mechanism of movement and the age of this process are still poorly understood.
On the west side, the strait separates the stable part of the Eurasian Plate from the very active region of the junction of three large plates in the east. The width is approximately 100-300 km, and the length is 710 km. The region is conditionally divided into the basins of the Northern and Southern Makassar, separated by a geological fault. The history of this geographical object is studied with the help of computer recreation of seismic processes and plate motion models, as well as the collection of geological information. It is known that in the basin there are large successive layers of relatively untouched Neogene and, probably, Paleogene deposits.
The version of the occurrence of the strait due to the split is also discussed. Recent studies show that the Makassar Strait was formed by vertical submersion of an underwater oceanic plate east of western Sulawesi. This immersion was due to the expansion and splitting of the continental crust over the subduction zone in the previous section of the collision, which led to its appearance.
Extent and boundaries
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Makassar Strait as lying among the East Indian archipelagic waters. The limits of the strait are called the canal between the west coast of Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, and the east coast of Borneo. In the north, the border runs along the line connecting Tanjung Mangkalihat and the Cape River, also known as Stroomen Kaap, in Celebes. The strait is bounded by a similar line in the south.
Meaning in history
The Strait of Makassar fell into history in the nineteenth century, when Wallace (1864) located the Wallace line along the strait. This trait is the boundary of biodiversity between the Asian fauna in the west and the Australian in the east and southeast.
The Makassar Strait is a deep waterway lying between a large number of islands, including Cebu and Laut. Balikpapan is the main settlement of Borneo along the coast, and the island of Makassar, also known as Ujungpandang, is the largest found along the strait in Celebes.
In 1942, in the waters of the basin, a Japanese naval expedition fought with the combined forces of the United States and the Dutch armed forces. The war lasted five days, but the allies could not prevent the Japanese landing in Balikpapan.
Battle of the Flores Sea
The battle of the Strait of Makassar occurred during World War II. It is known by other names: the battle of the Flores Sea or the action of the Strait of Madura. By the end of January 1942, Japanese troops seized control of the western and northern coasts of Borneo and large areas of Muluku. On the eastern coast of Borneo, military forces occupied the ports and oil facilities of Tarakan and Balikpapan, and the cities of Kendari and Menado were captured on the side of Celebes. However, the cities of Benjarmasin and Makasar remained for complete control of the Makasar Strait.
On February 1, 1942, the Allied forces received a message about the invasion of a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft in Balikpapan. The Japanese had three cruisers, 10 destroyers and 20 transport ships, which were preparing for departure. The consequences of this battle between the United States and its allies (Holland) with the enemy was the retreat of the strike force. The Japanese seized control of the Makassar Strait, thereby strengthening their position in the western region of the Dutch East Indies.