The Java Sea (Indonesian: Laut Jawa) is a large (320,000-km²) shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South China Sea.