What is the Gulf of Carpentaria?

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.

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

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