What is the Arafura Sea?
The Arafura Sea lies between northern Australia and New Guinea. It is a shallow sea, mostly less than 80 metres deep, bordering the coasts of Arnhem Land and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The sea sits on the Sahul Shelf, part of the continental shelf linking Australia and New Guinea. During ice ages, when sea levels were lower, much of it was dry land, allowing people and animals to move between the two regions.
The Arafura Sea is rich in prawns and fish and supports commercial fisheries. Its waters and islands are home to turtles, dugongs and seabirds, and many Aboriginal communities along the coast have strong connections to the sea.
Ancient trade
For centuries before European settlement, Macassan fishermen from Sulawesi sailed across the Arafura and nearby seas to collect trepang, or sea cucumber, trading with Yolngu people in Arnhem Land.
The Arafura Sea also carries shipping between northern Australia and Asia, and the Australian Border Force patrols it to stop illegal fishing.
Did You Know?
The name Arafura is thought to come from an old word for people of the mountains in the Maluku Islands.