Borneo facts for kids

Topography of Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world. It is in the center of maritime southeast Asia. This island is part of three different countries. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei each have part of Borneo. Indonesia's region is called "Kalimantan" (although Indonesians use this word for the whole island). Malaysia's region of Borneo is called East Malaysia or Malaysian Borneo. The independent nation of Brunei is a small part of the island. Borneo has a rainforest that is in danger because it is valuable. Lumber companies cut trees here illegally.

Geography

Borneo is surrounded by the South China Sea to the north and northwest, the Sulu Sea to the northeast, the Celebes Sea and the Makassar Strait to the east, and the Java Sea and Karimata Strait to the south. It has an area of 743,330 km² (287,000 square miles). Borneo is home to a few of the oldest rainforests in the world.

Wildlife

Borneo is home to a vast array of wildlife, including the endangered orangutan, as well as other animals such as monkeys, elephants, snakes, parrots, clouded leopards, hornbills, tarsiers and deer.

Images for kids

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  Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, the highest summit of the island

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  Kapuas River in Indonesia; at 1,000 km (620 mi) in length, it is the longest river in Borneo.

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  NASA satellite image of Borneo on 19 May 2002

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  Logging road in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

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  Dayak, the main indigenous people in the island, were feared for their headhunting practices.

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  Territorial loss of the thalassocracy of the Sultanate of Brunei from 1400 to 1890 due to the beginning of Western imperialism

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  British flag hoisted for the first time on the island of Labuan on 24 December 1846

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  Map of the island divided between the British and the Dutch, 1898. The present boundaries of Brunei, Indonesia, Sarawak-Sabah are largely inherited from the British and Dutch colonial rules.

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  The Dayak tribe during an Erau ceremony in Tenggarong

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  Arab-Malay Sultan of Pontianak in 1930

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  Japanese troops march through the streets of Labuan on 14 January 1942.

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  American support craft moving towards Victoria and Brown beach to assist the landing of the members of Australian 24th Infantry Brigade on the island during Operation Oboe Six, 10 June 1945

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  Sukarno visiting Pontianak, West Kalimantan in 1963

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  Queen's Own Highlanders 1st Battalion conduct a patrol to search for enemy positions in the jungle of Brunei.

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  Balikpapan, a major city in Borneo

See also

In Spanish: Borneo para niños