What strait separates the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra?

The Sunda Strait separates the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, connecting the Java Sea in the northeast with the Indian Ocean in the southwest. Its position makes it a natural maritime gateway between the western Indonesian archipelago and the wider Indian Ocean.

The name comes from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled western Java from about 669 to around 1579. The strait contains the Krakatau island group, including Anak Krakatau, and became globally famous after the catastrophic 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. That eruption caused enormous explosions, tsunamis and ash clouds heard and observed far beyond Indonesia.

The Sunda Strait is not the Malacca Strait, which lies between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Nor is it the Lombok Strait, which separates Bali and Lombok. Navigation in the Sunda Strait can be difficult because of shallow areas, strong tidal currents, sandbanks and offshore structures. During World War II, the Battle of Sunda Strait took place there on the night of 28 February–1 March 1942.