Which sea lies between Sulawesi and the Philippines' Mindanao island?

The sea between Sulawesi and the Philippines’ Mindanao island is the Celebes Sea.

Also called the Sulawesi Sea, it is a marginal sea of the western Pacific. Sulawesi forms its southern boundary, while Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago lie to the north. The Sangihe Islands mark much of its eastern side, and northern Borneo, or Kalimantan, borders it to the west.

The sea is part of a complicated island-and-sea system in maritime Southeast Asia. It is connected to neighbouring waters through passages around the Sulu Archipelago, Borneo, and Sulawesi. The name “Celebes” comes from the former colonial-era name for Sulawesi, so modern references often use “Sulawesi Sea” instead.

A frequent mix-up is the Sulu Sea, which lies north and west of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. The Java Sea is much farther southwest, while the Banda Sea lies south of Sulawesi. In 2013, Indonesia and the Philippines also agreed on a boundary for their overlapping exclusive economic zones in this region.