Timor Sea
Bounded by Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, the Arafura Sea to the east, and Australia to the south the relatively shallow Timor Sea is approximately 480 kilometres wide, covering an area of about 610,000 square kilometres. Its deepest point — the 3300 metre-deep Sunda Trench separates the Sahul Shelf — part of Australia's continental shelf — from the southeast Asian archipelago.
Australia's first inhabitants may have crossed the Timor Sea from southeast Asia by island-hopping at a time when sea levels were significantly lower.
The sea contains a number of reefs, uninhabited islands and significant hydrocarbon reserves which have prompted disputes over ownership and exploitation of the resources situated in the Timor Gap — the area of the sea which lies outside the territorial boundaries of Timor-Leste, Indonesia and Australia — culminating in the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty and 2018 Maritime Boundaries Treaty.
