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Koro Sea

Coordinates: 18°S 180°E / 18°S 180°E / -18; 180
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Koro Sea
Fiji map showing Koro Sea and Koro Island
Fiji map showing Koro Sea and Koro Island
Location of the Koro Sea
Location of the Koro Sea
Koro Sea
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates18°S 180°E / 18°S 180°E / -18; 180
TypeSea
Basin countriesFiji
Surface area58,000 km2 (22,000 sq mi)
Max. depth9,613 ft (2,930 m)[1]

The Koro Sea or Sea of Koro is a sea in the Pacific Ocean surrounded by the islands of Fiji. It is named after Koro Island.

Geography

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The Koro Sea[2][3] lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is surrounded by the more than 300 islands of Fiji, and is bordered by Viti Levu to the south, Vanua Levu and Taveuni to the north, Kadavu to the west, and the Lau Islands to the east.[4][5][6][7] It is about 2,100 kilometres (1,300 mi; 1,100 nmi) north of Auckland, New Zealand.[8] It is named after the volcanic island of Koro, an island of the Fijian archipelago located in the northwestern part of the Koro Sea.[3]

Physical description

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The Koro Sea covers an area of about 58,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi; 17,000 sq nmi). It is relatively shallow:[9] its maximum depth is 2,930 metres (9,613 ft), and on average its northern and western portions are shallower than its eastern portion. The seabed is formed by heavy basaltic rocks characteristic of ocean basins.[10] Rocks, sandbars[7] and numerous coral reefs between the islands[10] occupy about 411 square kilometres (159 sq mi; 120 sq nmi) of the sea,[11] making navigation possible only through a few narrow passages in its central portion.[10]

The sea separates the two underwater platforms from which the Fiji Islands rise. An oceanic ridge that crosses the Nanuku Passage in the northwestern part of the sea connects the two platforms.[12] The region has a high level of seismic activity.[13]

Climate

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The entire Koro Sea lies in the tropics.[14] Tropical air currents circulate over it all year round, although changes in air temperature with the change of season is documented. The trade winds predominate and tropical cyclones form in the warm season.[15]

Flora and fauna

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The Koro Sea is part of the marine ecoregion of the Fiji Islands, which is included within the Central Indo-Pacific biogeographic region.[16] In the field of zoogeography, the benthic fauna of the continental shelf and the sandbanks of the islands up to depths of 200 metres (656 ft) also corresponds to the Indo-Pacific biogeographic region within the tropical framework[17] More than 300 species of hard corals, 1,500 of fish, and 7,000 of sea snails are found there.[6]

Transportation

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Passenger ferries provide periodical service from the Koro Sea to Ovalau Island.[18] The Nanuku Passage serves as a sea route for importing products into the Koro Sea region.[3]

Recreation

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Scuba diving and snorkeling are possible in the Koro Sea but are not widely practiced because of the difficulty of safe navigation of its waters.[6][11]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Murray, Lorraine (2 November 2009). "Koro Sea". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  2. ^ Lebedeva, Nina Borisovna (1981). Фиджи: История и современность (Fiji: History and Modernity) (in Russian). Moscow: Наука, Главная ред (Science, main edition).
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary. Vol. 10 (3rd ed.). Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster. 1997. ISBN 9780877795469.
  4. ^ Saul B. Cohen, ed. (June 2008). The Columbia Gazetteer of the World (2nd ed.). Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231145541.
  5. ^ Wiegand, Patrick (1990). The New Oxford School Atlas. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198316503.
  6. ^ a b c "Your complete guide to Fiji's underwater world - Diving Fiji" (pdf). Tourism Fiji. 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b Rottman, Gordon L. (30 December 2001). World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-Military Study. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9780313075582.
  8. ^ "Fiji". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 24 August 1998. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  9. ^ Stanley, David (1993). "Introduction". South Pacific Handbook. Moon Publications. ISBN 9780918373991.
  10. ^ a b c Murray, Lorraine; Chauhan, Yamini (2 November 2009). "Koro Sea". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Diving in Lomaiviti". Divescover. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  12. ^ Foreign an Commonwealth Office (1968). "Fiji". Mauritius. H.M. Stationery Office.
  13. ^ Hamburger, Michael W.; Everingham, Ian B.; Isacks, Bryan L.; Barazangi, Muawia (10 March 1990). "Seismicity and crustal structure of the Fiji Platform, southwest Pacific". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 95 (B3): 2553–2573. doi:10.1029/JB095iB03p02553. ISSN 0148-0227.
  14. ^ Скуратович О. Я. (Skuratovych O. Ya.) (2008). Географія материків і океанів (Geography of Continents and Oceans) (in Ukrainian). Vol. 7. Kyiv, Ukraine: DNVP "Kartohrafii︠a︡".
  15. ^ Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union and Main Directorate of Geodesy and Cartography of the State Civil Committee of the USSR (1964). Физико-географический атлас мира (Physical and Geographical Atlas of the World) (in Russian). Moscow.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ Spalding, Mark D.; Fox, Helen E.; Allen, Gerald R.; Davidson, Nick; Ferdaña, Zach A. (July 2007). "Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas". BioScience. 57 (7): 574–583. doi:10.1641/B570707.
  17. ^ Lev Alexandrovich Zenkevich, ed. (1968). Жизнь животных (in Russian). Vol. 1. Беспозвоночные. Moscow: Prosvesxenie.
  18. ^ Stanley, David (1996). Fiji Islands Handbook. Moon Publications. ISBN 9781566910385.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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