Borneo
Third-largest island, divided among three sovereign states.
Last updated
According to 2020 national censuses, the island's area is 748,168 km² and its population is 23,053,723, making it the world's third-largest island.[1]
Geography and history
Before sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age, Borneo was part of the mainland of Asia, forming a peninsula with Java and Sumatra.[2][3] The largest river system is the Kapuas in West Kalimantan, with a length of 1,143 km.[4] Archaeological evidence from Samang Buat Cave in Sabah suggests human settlement dates back to around 46,000 years ago.[5] The peninsula's once-low-lying areas are now covered by the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.[2]
Because the deep waters between Borneo and Sulawesi never allowed a land bridge, the Wallace Line separates the Asian biological region from that of Australia-New Guinea.[2][3] By the 14th century, the Sultanate of Brunei had been founded and grew to be a significant maritime power in northern Borneo.[6] Japanese military forces controlled the majority of Borneo throughout World War II, from 1941 until 1945.[7]
What the cited sources add
The Wallace Line runs between Bali and Lombok, extending north through the Makassar Strait between Kalimantan and Sulawesi.[3] Even during the ice age with its low sea level, Sulawesi was never actually connected to Borneo.[3] Marsupials related to Australian kangaroos are found on eastern islands but are not seen in Borneo, which lies west of Sulawesi.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Borneo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sugianto, "Sensus Penduduk 2020 Selesai, Begini Sebaran Masyarakat RI Terbaru", finance.detik.com; Malaysia: Federal States, Territories, Districts, Major Cities, Urban Aras & Conurbations – Statistics & Maps on City Population. Citypopulation.de (20 May 2013; "W.P. Labuan Sepintas Lalu", statistics.gov.my (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Borneo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: James Allan Taylor, "Biogeography: Recent Advances and Future Directions", Rowman & Littlefield, 1984, p. 178–; Teresa Zubi, "Wallacea", Starfish, 25 October 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Teresa Zubi, "Wallacea", Starfish, 25 October 2015. facts only, no text reused. starfish.ch
- Wikipedia, "Borneo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "2014 Annual Competitiveness Analysis and Development Strategies for Indonesian Provinces", World Scientific, 8 September 2015, p. 286–; Tomas Tomascik, "The Ecology of the Indonesian Seas", Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 54–; "Competitiveness Analysis and Development Strategies for 33 Indonesian Provinces", World Scientific, 2013, p. 338–; "Tropical River Fisheries Valuation: Background Papers to a Global Synthesis", WorldFish, 2008, p. 218–; "Credit and Microfinance Needs in Inland Capture Fisheries Development and Conservation in Asia", Fo en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Borneo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "History of Borneo"; "Lembah Tertua Dalam Prasejarah Borneo Ditemui", Sabah Post, 22 November 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Borneo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Saunders, "A History of Brunei", RoutledgeCurzon, 2002; "Government and Politics in Southeast Asia", Cambridge University Press (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Borneo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Takashi Shiraishi, "The Japanese in Colonial Southeast Asia", SEAP Publications, January 1993, p. 54–; Regina Lim, "Federal-state Relations in Sabah, Malaysia: The Berjaya Administration, 1976–85", Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2008, p. 36–84; Danny Tze-Ken Wong, "The Transformation of an Immigrant Society: A Study of the Chinese of Sabah", Asean Academic, 1998; "War Crimes: Japan's World War II Atrocities", Turner Publishing Company, 2001, p. 123– (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Borneo (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Major Islands And Archipelagos
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Borneo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced