Bismarck Sea

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Bismarck Sea
Bismarck Sea

The Bismarck Sea lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean to the north of the island of Papua New Guinea and to the south of the Bismarck Archipelago and Admiralty Islands. Like the Bismarck archipelago, it is named in honour of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The Bismarck archipelago extends round to the east and north of the sea, enclosing the Bismarck Sea and separating it from the Pacific Ocean. To the south it is linked to the Solomon Sea by the Vitiaz Strait.[1]

It was the site of a major Japanese naval defeat in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea during World War II on March 3rd and 4th, 1943, towards the beginning of the War.[2]

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[edit] Mineral wealth

Recent explorations in the Bismarck Sea seabed have yielded discoveries of mineral-rich beds of sulfides, copper, zinc, silver and gold. These findings are especially important because they lied in shallow, calm waters. Papua New Guinea owns the mining rights to this minerals under international law.[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Bismarck Sea. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
  2. ^ Pacific War Maps. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
  3. ^ The Mineral Wealth of the Bismarck Sea. Scientific American Digital. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 3°47′S, 147°58′E

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