What is the Gulf of Carpentaria?

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About Gulf of Carpentaria

It is a shallow rectangular sea on the northern coast of Australia and an inlet of the eastern Arafura Sea (a Pacific Ocean sea separating New Guinea and Australia).
The gulf has an area of 120,000 square miles (310,000 square km) and a maximum depth of 230 feet (70 metres).
It is 590 kilometers wide at the mouth and 675 kilometers wide near the southern coast. It is over 700 kilometers long, from north to south.
The gulf covers a continental shelf common to both New Guinea and Australia.
A ridge extends across Torres Strait, separating the floor of the gulf from the Coral Sea to the east.
It is a rare modern example of an epicontinental sea (a shallow sea on top of a continent), a feature much more common at earlier times in the Earth’s geologic history.
At least 20 rivers empty into the gulf, including the Roper, Wilton, Walker, Calvert, Flinders, McArthur, and Norman Rivers.
There are several islands in the gulf, with Groote Eylandt, being the largest.
The gulf also contains fringing reefs and coral colonies.
It gained international recognition in the 20th and 21st centuries following the discovery and exploitation of several mineral resources, including manganese and bauxite.

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Q1) What is a Gulf?

The Gulf is a portion of the sea that is almost surrounded by land except one narrow opening. Gulfs are formed when a giant rock collapses or when a piece of land sinks. This causes a big indentation in the area, and the water eventually fills it up. Gulfs are also formed through a natural process of erosion.

Source: Another cyclone alert for Northern Australia