The Sulawesi Sea has another name - the Celebes Sea. Few people know about it in our country, but it is a very attractive place for tourists.
Location on the map
Let's start our acquaintance with this body of water by determining where the Sulawesi Sea is located.
It is located between several islands in the Malay Archipelago, that is, in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. It washes the shores of such islands as Kalimantan (Borneo), Mindanao and the island of Sulawesi with the same name to the sea.
Territorially, the sea waters of Sulawesi belong to Indonesia. The water area is approximately 453 thousand square kilometers.
Sea of Sulawesi. Description of the reservoir
The average depth of the sea is more than one and a half thousand meters, the maximum figure is 6220 meters, which is by no means small. In terms of temperature and climate indicators, the described reservoir is almost identical to the neighboring sea, which is called Sulu.
There is a large accumulation of silt on the seabedsediments of bluish hemipelagic silt, in which there is a significant admixture of materials of volcanic origin.
As for the coastal zone, that is, shallow water, there is a lot of sand, pebbles and shell rock. The sand on the shore is white, mostly of coral origin, i.e. limestone. The farther from the coast, the darker the sand becomes, as the amount of volcanic impurities in its composition increases. In this regard, near the coastline, the water is crystal clear, and the sand is dazzlingly white. The further from the coast, the darker the water becomes.
Sea of Sulawesi. Animal world
The sea has a huge number of coral reefs and atolls, where a myriad of diverse representatives of flora and fauna is concentrated. Only off the coast. Borneo are dense mangroves.
This region is deservedly considered one of the richest in the variety of living beings. Thousands and thousands of interesting animals and plants inhabit not only shallow water, but also deep space.
Even very recent studies of the flora and fauna of these waters, aimed at finding new species of animals and plants, give stunning results. For example, in 2007, Filipino and American scientists discovered animals unknown to science in the deep waters of the reservoir, such as a black jellyfish, a floating sea cucumber, and an orange spiny worm resembling a shrimp. This creature has tententacles that grow from the head.
Such a rich and diverse world of living creatures is not surprising for this place, because the Sulawesi Sea is one of the centers of the origin of life on Earth as a whole.
Among the most famous representatives of the animal world are:
- sharks. Presented in a huge variety;
- shellfish cones. They have a beautiful shell, which is highly valued;
- nautilus shellfish. Outwardly, its shell is a bit like a snail.
Climatic and tourist conditions
The sea is located in the equatorial climatic zone, so the average water temperature in it fluctuates throughout the year from +26 to +29 degrees Celsius.
It is interesting that the sea level is slightly higher than the global ocean level. This is due to the strong sea current in Mindanao.
The Sulawesi Sea is perfect for diving. Recall at least the world-famous Fr. Bunaken, which is famous all over the planet for its mesmerizing sea gardens. Here you can see thousands of species of marine coral fish, shellfish, starfish, etc.
Besides this, in sea waters there is an incredible variety of different species of sea snakes, worms, crustaceans and all kinds of other representatives of flora and fauna. For a simple resident of Russia or any other European country, the inhabitants of the sea will be very exotic.
All thistogether creates simply incredibly attractive conditions for diving, so thousands of tourists from all over the world come here to scuba dive and enjoy the beauty and riches of the sea.
In closing
The Sulawesi Sea is little known in Russia, and not many people know about it in the rest of the world. But such obscurity, on the contrary, adds a peculiar zest to this place, which has not yet been spoiled by crowds of visiting tourists.
Not only is the sea too rich in marine animals and plants, but the shores of the islands washed by it have fantastically picturesque beaches, and the azure waters and palm trees on the shore only complement this landscape, creating a simply fabulous, paradise view.
Sulawesi is one of the hotbeds of a huge concentration of animal and plant species, so its waters should be specially protected, but in reality the Indonesian government does not properly deal with this issue.
Every year more and more people in the world visit this unique sea as vacationers. In Russia, this tourist destination is still rather poorly mastered, but a general trend towards an increase in the interest of Russians in this sea is also observed. Moreover, there are all the prerequisites for this. This area has great development prospects and in the coming years can seriously compete with holidays in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.
