Savu Sea

Savu Sea
Sawu Sea
Satellite image of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Savu Sea in the centre
Location of Savu Sea within Southeast Asia
LocationSoutheast Asia
Coordinates9°45′S 122°00′E / 9.750°S 122.000°E / -9.750; 122.000
TypeSea
EtymologySavu Island
Part ofIndian Ocean
Basin countries
Max. length360 km (220 mi)
Max. width290 km (180 mi)
Surface area105,000 km2 (41,000 sq mi)
Average depth1,700 m (5,600 ft)
Water volume178,000 km3 (43,000 cu mi)
SettlementsEnde
Kupang
Waingapu
References
Location
Interactive map of Savu Sea

The Savu Sea (or the Sawu Sea) (Indonesian: Laut Sawu, Portuguese: Mar de Savu, Tetum: Tasi Savu) is a small sea within Indonesia named for the island of Savu (Sawu) on its southern boundary. It is bounded by Savu and Raijua to the south, the islands of Rote and Timor (split between East Timor and Indonesia) to the east, Flores and the Alor archipelago to the north/northwest, and the island of Sumba to the west/northwest. Between these islands, it flows into the Indian Ocean to the south and west, the Flores Sea to the north, and the Banda Sea to the northeast.

The Savu Sea spans about 360 km (220 mi) from west to east, and 290 km (180 mi) from north to south. Its area is about 105,000 km2 (41,000 sq mi). It reaches about 3,500 m (11,500 ft) in depth. The largest city on the sea is Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province on the island of Timor, with about 450,000 inhabitants.