Carpentaria, Gulf of

Shallow gulf opening out of the Arafura Sea, between the capes of Arnhem and York, north of Australia; 600 km/373 mi long, 490 km/304 mi wide. The first European to reach it was the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1606 and it was named in 1623 in honour of Pieter Carpentier, governor general of the Dutch East Indies.

The most important islands are Groote Eylandt and the Wellesley Islands. A number of rivers flow into the gulf, including the Roper, the Mitchell, the Flinders, the Leichhardt, and the Albert. The coast is low and swampy.