Coral Sea

Coral Sea, arm of the Pacific Ocean, off the north-eastern coast of Australia, mostly between latitudes 10° and 20° south. The exact boundaries of the sea are indefinite, but it is generally considered to extend from the Australian coast north to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and east to the islands of Vanuatu. The sea contains coral growths of the Great Barrier Reef and many other coral islands and atolls. The Battle of the Coral Sea was an important conflict in World War II. The sea is shallow (less than 200 m/650 ft deep) for large areas around the coral shelf of the islands and the Australian coast, but the central Coral Sea Basin reaches a depth of 4,899 m (16,073 ft).