portion of the western North Pacific. It is bounded by northeastern Borneo on the southwest, the southwestern islands of the Philippines, including Palawan, on the west and northwest, Busuanga and Mindoro on the north, Panay and Negros on the east, and Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago on the southeast. About 490 mi (790 km) from north to south and 375 mi east to west, with a surface area of 100,000 sq mi (260,000 sq km), it fills a downfaulted block, in some places almost 18,400 feet (5,600 m) deep, the edges of which are seen in the bordering islands. A fracture line, bisecting the sea from northeast to southwest, is evidenced by the coral atolls of the Cagayan Islands, the Tubbataha Reefs, and the volcanic Cagayan Sulu group.

The Sulu Sea was long the stronghold of the Sulu Archipelago's Moro pirates. Punitive campaigns, started by the Spanish in the mid-19th century and terminated by U.S. troops in 1906, broke the power of the Moros. The sea is now extensively used for interisland trade. Fishing is important and marine products include pearls, pearl shells, bêche-de-mer, shark fins, and turtle eggs.