Basilaki/Sideia/Sarabi
- ISS004-E-5867
- 12 January 2002
- 03:02 UTC
Sariba, Sideia and Basilaki (left to right in the image) are the three largest of several dozen islands that lie at the southern entrance in to Milne Bay. They are separated from the mainland by the China Strait, and are sometimes considered as outliers of the Louisiade Archipelago.
Sariba measures 8 km in length, while its irregular shape gives it widths varying from less than 1 km to 4 km. The island rises to a height of 296 m. The Papua New Guinea mainland lies less than 2 km from its western shores across the China Strait.
At the centre of the image is the island of Sideia (108 km²), with a maximum length of 16 km. Like its western neighbour it has a highly irregular coastline with numerous peninsulas and deep bays. Sideia rises to a height of 393 m at Mt. Kopaki.
At the image right is Basilaki (100 km²). It lies around 500 m from Sideia, from which it is separated by the Fortescue Strait. Basilaki has a maximum length of 18 km and widths of up to 7 km. It rises to 503 m at Mt. Fairfax.
