SEE Borneo

Explore the forest of

SEE BORNEO

Borneo is the third largest island in the world, covering an area of 743,330 square kilometers (287,000 square miles), or a little more than the twice the size of Germany.

Borneo's forests are some of the most biodiverse on the planet, home to more than

44

species of mammals

230

of which

are endemic

37

resident birds

420

of which

are endemic

37

amphibians

100

of which

are endemic

19

fish

394

of which

are endemic

6k

plants

15k

of which

are endemic

Politically, the island is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesian Borneo is known as Kalimantan, while Malaysian Borneo is known as East Malaysia. The name Borneo itself is a Western reference first used by the Dutch during their colonial rule of the island.

Geographically the island is divided by central highlands that run diagonally from Sabah state (Malaysia) in northeastern Borneo to southwestern Borneo, roughly forming the border between West and Central Kalimantan (Indonesia). The range is not volcanic — the whole of Borneo has only a single extinct volcano — but does feature one of the highest mountains in Southeast Asia: Mount Kinabalu at 4095m.

Surveys have found more than 700 species of trees in a 10 hectare plot — a number equal to the total number of trees in Canada and the United States combined. Several distinct ecosystems are found across Borneo. These are the Mangroves, Peat Swamp forests, Montane forests, Heath forests & Lowland Dipterocarp forests.