Balabac Strait
title: "Balabac Strait" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["straits-of-the-philippines", "straits-of-malaysia", "straits-of-the-south-china-sea", "bodies-of-water-of-the-sulu-sea", "malaysia–philippines-border", "landforms-of-palawan", "landforms-of-sabah", "international-straits"] topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balabac_Strait" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Balabac Strait |
| location | Palawan, Philippines |
| Sabah, Malaysia | |
| pushpin_map | Philippines |
| pushpin_label_position | left |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location within the Philippines and Malaysia |
| coordinates | |
| image | Balabac Strait Sunset.jpg |
| alt | Balabac Strait sunset on Winter Solstice |
| caption | Balabac Strait sunset on Winter Solstice |
| type | Strait |
| :: |
| name = Balabac Strait | etymology = | location = Palawan, Philippines Sabah, Malaysia | pushpin_map = Philippines | pushpin_label_position = left | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = Location within the Philippines and Malaysia | coordinates = | coor_pinpoint = | part_of = | image = Balabac Strait Sunset.jpg | alt = Balabac Strait sunset on Winter Solstice | caption = Balabac Strait sunset on Winter Solstice | type = Strait
The Balabac Strait (; ) is one of the straits that connects the South China Sea with the Sulu Sea. It separates Balabac Island (Palawan province), Philippines, from Balambangan and the Banggi Islands north of Borneo that are a part of Malaysia's Sabah state.
Description
The strait is about 50 km wide with a maximum depth of around 100 m. It was therefore likely to have been below sea level before the last ice age and archaelogica; records indicate that there was an exchange of flora and fauna such as the Bornean tiger between Borneo and the Palawans.
Foreign relations
In 2021, Chinese vessels passed through the strait without prior notice. In the same way, American submarines refused to surface. Because of this, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee drafted a bill to define the maritime zones of the Philippines. On June 19, 2024, four People's Liberation Army Navy vessels passed through the strait, with two vessels heading southwest at 1:49 p.m., while two other vessels headed the same direction at 3:56 p.m. The incident gained controversy online. The incident, with another near El Nido, caused fear amongst citizens.
References
References
- Hj. Idris, Hanizah. (2006). "Perdagangan pelabuhan di Borneo". Penerbit Universiti Malaya.
- "Balabac Strait: Philippines". Geographic.org.
- (27 May 2009). "The South China Sea: Paleoceanography and Sedimentology". Springer Science & Business Media.
- (1998). "Magnitudes of sea-level lowstands of the past 500,000 years". [[Nature (journal).
- (2002). "Sea-level and deep water temperature changes derived from benthic foraminifera isotopic records". [[Quaternary Science Reviews]].
- (2006). "Modelled atmospheric temperatures and global sea levels over the past million years". [[Nature (journal).
- (2008). "The first evidence for the past presence of the tiger ''Panthera tigris'' (L.) on the island of Palawan, Philippines: extinction in an island population". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
- (2011-03-15). "Palaeozoology of Palawan Island, Philippines". [[Elsevier]].
- Talosig-Bartolome, Malou. (2021-12-06). "Carpio: China warships pass through Balabac Strait sans notice to PHL {{!}} Malou Talosig-Bartolome".
- Bajo, Anna Felicia. (2024-06-21). "AFP: 4 PLA Navy ships sailed through Palawan's Balabac".
- Mendoza, John Eric. (2024-06-21). "West Philippine Sea: 4 Chinese warships monitored off Balabac, Palawan".
- Formoso, Celeste Anna. (2024-06-26). "Chinese naval presence in Palawan waters raises alarm".
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