The 2018 Indonesian tsunami was named for which strait between Java and Sumatra?

The 2018 Indonesian tsunami was named for the Sunda Strait, the channel between the islands of Java and Sumatra. The tsunami struck both sides of this strait on 22 December 2018 after the flank collapse of Anak Krakatoa.

The Sunda Strait connects the Java Sea with the Indian Ocean and forms a vital geographic link between western Java and southern Sumatra. Its location places densely populated coastlines close to the Krakatoa volcanic complex, including the island of Anak Krakatoa itself.

The name “Sunda” comes from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled western Java from roughly the seventh century until the late sixteenth century. The strait is also associated with the 1883 Krakatoa eruption, whose explosions, pyroclastic flows, and tsunamis killed tens of thousands of people.

The Sunda Strait should not be confused with the Strait of Malacca, which separates Sumatra from the Malay Peninsula, or the Lombok Strait, farther east between Bali and Lombok. The 2018 event’s geographic name identifies the affected waterway, not the volcano that generated the waves.