Karimata Strait

Karimata Strait
Selat Karimata (Indonesian)
Karimata Strait
Karimata Strait
Coordinates	2°05′S 108°40′E / 2.083°S 108.667°E / -2.083; 108.667
Type	strait
Basin countries	Indonesia
References	Selat Karimata: Indonesia National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, MD, USA

The Karimata Strait (alternatively, Carimata^[1] or Caramata;^[2] Indonesian: Selat Karimata) is a wide strait that connects the South China Sea to the Java Sea, separating the Indonesian islands of Belitung to the west and Borneo (Kalimantan) to the east. It is the widest strait between the South China Sea and the Java Sea (other straits include the Bangka and Gaspar straits), but its numerous islands and reefs reduce its navigability. Its weather and current is influenced by the annual southeast and northwest monsoon.

It was used as an invasion route by the British fleet in the 1811 Invasion of Java in the Dutch East Indies. More recently, it was the site of the crash of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501, and the location of the 2016 edition of Sail Indonesia (dubbed "Sail Karimata Strait").