Coral, << KAWR uhl, >> Sea is the part of the Pacific Ocean between the northeast coast of Australia, the Solomon Islands, and the Vanuatu island group. It has an unusually large number of coral atolls and bank reefs. The boundaries of this sea are so indefinite that the name could be applied to large parts of the Southern Pacific. The reefs along the western shores of the Coral Sea have the finest specimens of coral (see Coral reef).
The United States Navy, with assistance from the Royal Australian Navy, fought Japanese naval forces during a key World War II battle in the Coral Sea in May 1942. Neither side won a clear-cut victory, but the Japanese offensive was checked for the first time in the war.
See also Coral Sea, Battle of the.
