Arafura Sea

American  

[ahr-uh-foor-uh, ahr-uh-] / ˈɑr əˈfʊər ə, ˌɑr ə- /

noun

1. a part of the Pacific Ocean between northern Australia and southwestern New Guinea.

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Arafura Sea British  

/ ˌærəˈfʊərə /

noun

1. a part of the W Pacific Ocean, between N Australia and SW New Guinea

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Etymology

Origin of Arafura Sea

First recorded in 1830–40; possibly a self-designation of the Harrafora people who live in the Moluccas

Example Sentences

In February, Australia accused a Chinese navy ship of shining a military grade laser towards one of its warplanes over the Arafura Sea off northern Australia.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2022

The Chinese vessel was sailing east with another PLA-N ship through the Arafura Sea at the time of the incident, the department said.

From Reuters • Feb. 19, 2022

A 2,400-object Melanesian collection features works from every major island in the region extending from the island of New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2019

Touring the Silver Sea 2 on Friday, Indonesian Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said she believed the frozen fish filling up its holds came from eastern Indonesia's Arafura Sea, where foreign fishing vessels are banned.

From US News • Sep. 26, 2015

Since the rise of the Arafura Sea finally separated Australia and New Guinea from each other around 10,000 years ago, gene exchange has been limited to tenuous contact via the chain of Torres Strait islands.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond