Indonesia High Sea

This sea area belongs to the waters off the Arakan coast on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal. Its regional history is connected with the kingdom centred on Mrauk-U. Mrauk-U was founded in 1430 and served as the seat of a Rakhine dynasty into the late eighteenth century.

The capital stood well inland, yet deep tributaries allowed the largest ocean-going ships of its period to reach it. This arrangement gave the court access to maritime commerce while reducing the danger of a sudden attack by an enemy fleet. Ships crossing the coastal waters thus approached a river-linked commercial system extending beyond the shoreline. Mrauk-U became a focus of trade along the eastern Bay of Bengal.