Origin of Kalimantan Island. Resorts of Indonesia. Kalimantan Island. Geological structure and relief of the island of Kalimantan

Borneo (Malay: Borneo), or Kalimantan (Indon: Kalimantan) is a bronze medal winner among the three largest islands in the world, located in the heart of the Malay Archipelago in the south-eastern part of Asia. The total area is 743,330 km². This is the only island in the world whose territory belongs to three states: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Most of it - Indonesian - includes four provinces (Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and South Kalimantan). The Malaysian part, covering about 26% of the total area, is divided into the states of Sarawak and Sabah. The latter is the most popular among tourists.

The shores of the island are washed by the waters of the South China Sea, the Sulawesi, Javanese, Sulu seas and the Makassar and Karimata straits. To the south of Borneo lies the island of Java, to the west are the Sulawesi Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, to the northwest are the Philippine Islands. Mount Kinabalu (4095 m), located in the state of Sabah in Malaysia, is the highest point of the island, as well as all of Southeast Asia.

The history of Borneo began more than 40 thousand years ago, when groups of people from China reached the island across an isthmus of land. This data is confirmed by the site of an ancient man discovered by researchers in the Nia Cave. During archaeological excavations, tools made of stone and the remains of ancient people were found. Rock paintings have been preserved in the cave to this day.

Mulu Cave:

The island of Borneo was put on geographical maps in 1521, when the ships of an expedition led by Magellan landed on its shores. The first mention of it was present in the works of Marco Polo dating back to the 13th century, but the date of its official discovery is still considered to be the year Magellan visited the island. Although Borneo had not existed on maps before, it was quite famous among the merchants of China, India, Japan and the Arab countries who traded with it.

Tip of the island of Borneo:

Later, writers Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham drew inspiration from this island, and the famous British scientist Alfred Russel Wallace studied the mechanisms of natural selection. Borneo's landscape is predominantly mountainous, with much of the area covered by jungle. The island's tropical forests, which are much older than the Amazon, are among the oldest in the world (approximately 130 million years old).

The flora and fauna of Borneo are extremely diverse: about 15 thousand flowering plants, 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of land mammals and 420 species of birds have been recorded on its territory. The island preserves a large number of endemic plant and animal species. The largest primate in the world - the orangutan - lives here, the largest flowers grow - rafflesia, and in the jungle you can find 10 species of predatory plants that eat insects, called nepentas.

Rehabilitation center for orangutans:

Rafflesia:

Carnivorous plant - nepentas:

Rare species of ferns, orchids and trees are found in the mountains.

Exotic fruit tarap:

The exotic indigenous inhabitants of the local forests include a plant from the Permian period - the tree fern. Another unique representative of the flora of Borneo is the so-called walking tree. It begins its life path as an ordinary tree, but having reached a certain height, its roots begin to grow from the middle of the trunk about a meter from the ground, while the base of the stem with the roots dries out. Having gotten rid of the burden, the walking tree acquires the ability to move in search of moisture and more fertile places.

Proboscis monkey on the roots of a walking tree:

The island's forests provide an important refuge for many endemic species, including the Asian elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros, Bornean clouded leopard and Kalimantan civet.

Baby Sumatran rhinoceros:

Clouded leopard:

Striped Palm Civet:

Borneo is home to several unusual animals - for example, the biturong, or cat-bear, which combines the features of these two animals in its appearance. Another strange representative of the local fauna is a miniature bear that eats bananas. The island's avifauna also has its own unique species - a bird that very skillfully imitates the sounds of human speech.

Biturong:

Malayan gomran (hornbill):

Silver Lutung.

Relief. Geological structure and minerals

Kalimantan, Borneo, island in the Malay Archipelago, the largest of the Greater Sunda Islands. Pl. 734 thousand km 2 (the second largest on Earth after Greenland), with coastal islands - 746.5 thousand km 2; extent from south-west to the north-east OK. 1100 km. It is washed by the South China, Sudu, Sulawesi, Java Seas, Makassar and Karimata Straits. Most of Kalimantan (approx. 540 thousand km 2) is the territory of Indonesia, in the north there is the territory of Malaysia (Sarawak and Sabah) and the British colony of Brunei. Shores preim. low-lying, swampy, poorly dissected; There are few good harbors. The sea is shallow along the western shores, and shallow along the eastern shores. The coastline is a barrier of coral reefs in places. In the northwest there is a section of the ancient pre-Mesozoic Sunda Platform, in the south and east there are areas of Mesozoic and Alpine folding. The central part of Kalimantan is made up of blocky mountains (2-3 thousand m high), radiating towards the outskirts. In the north is the highest point of Kalimantan, Kinabalu (4101 m). The mountains are composed mainly of granites, gneisses, and crystalline schists. Flattened peaks and steep slopes predominate. The mountains are surrounded by a strip of rolling plains that turn into flat, swampy lowlands. Mineral resources in Kazakhstan include oil and coal, as well as ores of iron, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, copper, and other metals. Borneo is located on the equator; Most of the island is covered with tropical rainforests, which in elevated areas turn into mountain moss forests, which occupy a large area, and in the coastal lowlands they give way to freshwater swampy forests and mangroves.

In the west and south, Borneo is washed by shallow seas with a depth of no more than 60 m. To the north and east of the island, the continental shelf is very narrow and the seabed drops steeply to a depth of 3,500 m.

Geological structure and minerals. Most of the island of Kalimantan belongs to the area of ​​Mesozoic tectogenesis. Tectonic activity continues, as evidenced by intense volcanic activity, increased seismicity (presence of deep-focus earthquakes) and large gravity anomalies. In geol. The structure of Kalimantan involves metamorphic rocks, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Paleogene-Neogene effusive-sedimentary deposits of various compositions, as well as anthropogenic volcanic formations. Intrusive rocks of felsic, mafic and ultramafic composition are Mesozoic, Cenozoic and, less commonly, Paleozoic in age. The characteristic elements of the modern geological structure of the island of Kalimantan are island arcs and associated deep-sea oceanic trenches.

Corals have developed strongly on the eastern edge of the platform parallel to the eastern shore of Borneo and in the Makassar Strait, where powerful reefs are found, the size of which resembles the Great Barrier Reef on the eastern edge of the Sahul Bank. These areas are favorable for corals, as they are washed by the warm equatorial current going towards the shore. The spread of coral structures in the west of the continental shallows is hampered by minor upward movements of water that form behind coastal currents.

In general, in the “Mediterranean seas”, coral structures are less common, but more varied in form. In this zone there are atolls, barrier and coastal reefs, located either above or below sea level, sometimes in an inclined position towards it, variously fringing protruding islands.

This morphological diversity is explained by the location of these structures in the zone of constant and repeated displacement of geoanticlines forming island arcs.

There are several theories to explain the formation of coral structures. All of them are based on the study of the conditions necessary for the life of polyps, which are typically coastal organisms. These theories explain the shape and size of the accumulation of coral skeletons by changes in water levels. In the seas of Southeast Asia there are examples of coral formations that support theories based on changes in sea level or eustatic movements, especially characteristic of the Sunda platform, as well as examples of coral structures associated with secular fluctuations of the earth's crust, to which the islands mainly owe their origin “Mediterranean seas”, and, finally, theories explaining coral structures by underwater tectonic phenomena.

Minerals: petroleum associated with Neogene deposits; coal in Paleogene-Neogene deposits (Sumatra and Kalimantan); zhel. laterite ores (Kalimantan and Sulawesi); manganese (volcanogenic-sedimentary ores in Paleogene deposits in Java); tin ores (large deposits associated with Mesozoic granites on the islands of Banka, Belitung, Sinkep, etc.); aluminum (in laterite bauxites and bauxite-like rocks of Bintan Island, etc.); nickel (in lateritic iron ores of Sulawesi). There are phosphates in cave formations in Java.

Climate

The climate on the island of Kalimanta is equatorial; the rest of the peninsula is subequatorial monsoon. On the plains, average monthly air temperatures range from 25 to 28° C. During the day, the temperature rarely rises above +32° C, and at night it drops to about +21° C. In the mountains the climate is moderate, and at high altitudes it is cool.

The average annual precipitation on the plains is 1500–2500 mm in the peninsular part of the country and 3750 mm on the island of Kalimantan, rising to 4000–5000 mm in the mountains. Precipitation occurs throughout the year, but due to the alternating northeast and southwest monsoons, it exhibits seasonal variability (December is the wettest month, with less rainfall from February to June). The climate is equatorial. The air temperature on the plains throughout the year is 25-27 0 C; annual precipitation is 2000-3500 mm (in the mountains up to 5000 mm), falling evenly throughout the year. To the east The coast experiences a dry season (1 - 3 months). The river network is dense, the rivers are full of water throughout the year. The Kapuas, Barito, and Mahakam rivers are navigable for several hundred kilometers from their mouths; On the plain there are frequent changes in channels, swamping of the banks, and in the mouths there are sandbanks and bars. The average monthly air temperature at sea level approximately corresponds to the average annual temperature of +26–27° C.

Although the higher areas of the island record less high and more differentiated air temperatures, their monthly values ​​remain stable. At altitudes above 1500 m there are frosts. Seasonal and spatial fluctuations in the amount of precipitation are more significant, since the island of Sumatra is located in the zone of influence of the monsoons. Most of the island receives precipitation from December to March, when the western monsoon blows. From its source of origin, the western monsoon rushes over the expanses of the South China Sea towards northeastern Sumatra, northern Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

Then the air flow, changing course, crosses the equator and invades the southern regions of Indonesia from the northwest and west-northwest. The east monsoon, which blows from June or July to the end of September, originates in the dry interior regions of Australia. A warm but dehydrated air mass moves over the Lesser Sunda Islands and the eastern half of Java. Passing over the Indian Ocean, the monsoon begins to turn southwest, along the way it is abundantly saturated with moisture and brings down heavy rains on the mountainous southwestern coast of Sumatra.

Almost throughout the entire territory of Kalimantan, within 5° on both sides of the equator, an average of 1800 to 3500 mm of precipitation falls annually, in some mountainous areas - up to 6100 mm per year. In general, more precipitation falls on the west coast of the island. Kalimantan and in the mountainous regions of West Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. Although the distribution of precipitation is uneven across months and regions, none of them experience a prolonged dry period

In a country so exposed to monsoons, with complex terrain and a unique configuration of islands, local weather anomalies inevitably arise. For example, the city of Palu, deep in a long and narrow bay in western Sulawesi, is located just 1° south of the equator, but in the rain shadow and therefore receives no more than 530 mm of precipitation annually. At the same time, the annual precipitation rate in the city of Padang, located at the same geographic latitude, but at the foot of the windward slope of the Barisan mountain range on the island with respect to the southwest monsoon. Sumatra is 4200–4500 mm.

Water resources. Soil resources

The climate and topography conditions favor the formation of a dense river network. Due to the abundance of atmospheric precipitation, the rivers are full almost all year round and play an important role in the irrigation system. In mountainous areas, rivers represent a potential source of electricity. However, flooding is common in the region, and rivers carry significant amounts of silty material that impedes navigation and deposits in the coastal zone. The largest rivers about. Kalimantan - r. Kapuas, or Kapuas Besar (1040 km, basin area - 97 thousand sq. km) in West Kalimantan, Mahakam (715 km) in East Kalimantan, Martapura and Barito (650 km) in South Kalimantan. Most rivers originate in the central mountain range; on the plains, closer to the coast, they flow through extensive swamps; The riverbeds change frequently. Settlements are formed along many rivers, which also serve as transport arteries. Coastal areas in the north are swampy. Most of them are of tectonic or volcanic origin. There are floodplain lakes abounding in fish. Other largest lakes: Jempang, Melintang and Semayang - on the river. Mahakam, Kalimantan; and Loire, Sentarum and Siawan - on the river. Kapuas, Kalimantan.

In lowlands, drainage conditions are difficult due to the abundance of precipitation, low evaporation and dense vegetation cover. Huge wetlands are formed there, often preventing economic development of the area. Frequent floods caused by heavy rainfall also contribute to waterlogging. The river level of the island of Kalimantan remains almost unchanged throughout the year. Most of the rivers of the islands are of short length. The largest of them - Kapuas, flowing in Kalimantan - reaches 1040 km.

In the upper reaches of the river they have large reserves of water energy; in the lower reaches they are used for irrigation and navigation. Most of the marshes are flooded every rainy season, and wide deltas and coastal strips up to 20 km wide are flooded during high tides twice a day. Although the rivers that cross the swamps are navigable for some of their length (depending on the shifting sandbanks), villages are rare and separated by great distances. Some channels near the coast are exceptionally deepened, probably by tidal waves, such as the Kampar River. Navigable rivers form transport arteries running from east to west; in the interior of the island at the foothills they meet the highway and railway, stretching from northwest to southeast.

Soils. Strongly leached podzolized lateritic soils on a thick weathering crust predominate. With the exception of the arid southeast of the country, where the red-brown soils of dry savannas predominate, the soils in the rest of the country are generally subject to greater or lesser degrees of laterization, characteristic of areas of very humid tropical climates. Such red-yellow ferrallitic soils of lowland areas are quite suitable for the growth of dense tropical rainforests, as well as rubber and oil palms. In coastal areas and plains, alluvial and tropical swamp soils are especially widespread, and in mangrove forests, mangrove saline soils are widespread. The most fertile soils of the island of Kalimantan are of volcanic origin. On predominant acidic igneous rocks, soils of average quality are formed; more fertile soils are formed on rocks of average composition.

Such soils are found in the east and central part of Java, Bali, as well as on the Batak plateau in the vicinity of Lake. Toba in Sumatra. Thus, the soils most suitable for agricultural use were formed on volcanic rocks redeposited by watercourses, mainly in the middle and lower river valleys of eastern and central Java, southern Bali and northeastern Sumatra. Fertile soils formed directly on lavas of average composition are found in many areas of the archipelago, but their areas are small. Mountain ferrallitic red-yellow soils, red soils and yellow soils are also characteristic of mountainous regions. In Kalimantan, red-yellow ferrallitic and alluvial soils are common, which erode and lose their fertility under the influence of rainfall. In many areas, once fertile soils have been depleted by continuous cultivation of the same crops. The soil and climatic conditions of Malaysia are very favorable for the development of dense tropical rainforests. About 70% of the country's territory is covered with forests. Most of them are distributed in Kalimantan. Tropical rainforests are rich in species diversity.

Vegetation. Animal world

Vegetation.

More than 3/4 ter. K. is covered with forests; along the sea shores - mangrove vegetation. On the plains and foothills there are tall, multi-tiered tropical rainforests of palm trees, bamboos, pandanus, and multi-stemmed ficus. Until vye. 1500 m - the most lush mountain forests of dipterocarp, sandalwood, ficus, rasamal. Trees are often intertwined with lianas, epiphytes, including abundant mosses. Above are evergreen oaks, laurels, rhododendrons, conifers (Bornean agathis). On the mountain tops there are shrubs and mixed-grass meadows. To the south-east As a result of clearing, shrubs and thickets of alang-alang and wild sugar cane dominate. Due to its hot and humid climate, varied topography, and geographical location, Indonesia has a rich and diverse plant life, including approx. 40 thousand species (Java alone has about 10 thousand species). With the exception of Java and Bali, approximately 90% of the country is covered with forests, in which approx. 3 thousand species of trees. To a large extent, this is already secondary forest (belukar), which is very common in those parts

The accumulation of silt deposits on the coast creates conditions for the formation of mangrove swamps with evergreen thickets. A sandy seashore free of such sediments looks completely different, with a beach fringed by various salt-tolerant species of flora, including graceful casuarinas and coconut palms. In elevated areas at altitudes of 450–900 m, plants of the temperate zone predominate, and at altitudes of more than 1500–1850 m they are replaced by mountain hylea, or moss tropical forest with a predominance of evergreens (oak), broad-leaved (oak, beech, chestnut) and conifers (Bornean agathis, podocarpus) species. There are also many orchids, ferns and mosses in this belt. On the mountain tops, above 2500–3000 m, mixed forests give way to bush thickets (mountain casuarina) and alpine meadows.

In non-flooded areas from sea level to an altitude of approximately 1500 m, rich tropical rainforests with a complex system of tiers, with an endless number of vines and epiphytes, are spread on the mountain slopes. The tallest trees, which include palms, ficuses, and legumes, reach 60-70 m in height. Valuable fruit trees of the forests of Kalimantan - bread, mangosteen, mango, durian - are widely cultivated not only on the islands of the Malay Archipelago, but also in other parts of the tropical zone.

Bananas, bamboos, pandanuses, and giant ferns grow in the lower tiers. Orchids, mosses and lichens settle on the trunks of fallen trees and on the soil. Numerous vines, including the famous 200-300-meter rattan palm, entangle this already impenetrable thicket. During the rainy season (there are two of them, coinciding with the equinoxes), streams of water sometimes fall from the sky for weeks without a break, accompanied by thunderstorms and squalls. The microclimate of the lower tier of the tropical forest is particularly constancy and stability of its elements. The evergreen vegetation of the jungle is multi-tiered. The first tier consists of single perennial giant trees up to 60 m high with a wide crown and a smooth, branchless trunk.

The second tier is formed by trees up to 20-30 m high. The third tier is represented by 10-20-meter trees, mainly palm trees of various types. And finally, the fourth tier is a low undergrowth of bamboo, shrubby and herbaceous forms of ferns and mosses (an evergreen spore-bearing herbaceous plant).

There are two types of tropical forests - primary and secondary. The primary tropical forest, despite the many tree forms, vines and epiphytes, is quite passable. Dense thickets are found mainly along river banks, in clearings, in areas of deforestation and forest fires.

At the same time, the dense crowns of trees prevent the penetration of sunlight into the soil and its drying out. Only a tenth of sunlight reaches the earth. Therefore, a damp twilight constantly reigns in the tropical forest, creating the impression of gloom and monotony.

For various reasons - fires, deforestation, etc. - vast expanses of virgin tropical forest have been replaced by secondary forests, representing a chaotic accumulation of trees, shrubs, vines, and bamboo.

Animal world. Kalimantan has an extremely rich and diverse fauna: elephants, large monkeys (orangutans, gibbons, big-nosed monkey), prosimian slow loris, woolly winged birds, bats (fruit-eating bats, insectivorous bats), bears, two-horned rhinoceros, banteng, etc. About 600 species birds, among them hornbills, argus, parrots, etc. Except, the fauna of insects and other arthropods is rich. The conventional line drawn by the English naturalist of the 19th century. A. R. Wallace along the outer edge of the Sunda continental shelf, east of Kalimantan and Java, corresponds to the approximate boundary of the Asian fauna in the west and the Australian fauna in the east. Accordingly, such large animals as the elephant, rhinoceros (one-horned in Java and two-horned in Sumatra), tiger and orangutan live to the west of the designated border, and smaller monkeys are also found to the east - on the islands of Sulawesi and Timor.

Many Asian species of birds, reptiles and insects (including butterflies) penetrate even further east. As you move east of this line, the number of Australian animal species increases, which is especially noticeable in the province of Papua, which is characterized by marsupials.

The onset of civilization led to a significant reduction in the populations of large mammals. Many animal species are endemic. For example, the Malayan bear lives only in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the wild bull - in Java and Kalimantan, the dwarf anoa bull - in Sulawesi, the wild babirusa pig - in Sulawesi and the Moluccas, and the "big-nosed monkey" - in Kalimantan. Wild elephants are now found in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Kalimantan has more large mammals (tigers, panthers, rhinoceroses, tapirs, orangutans) than any other island in Indonesia. Kalimantan is home to rhinoceroses, tapirs, leopards and orangutans. The black gibbon monkey is found in Sumatra. In Java, besides the extremely rare tiger, the most famous local large mammal is the wild ox, or banteng. Of the smaller mammals, Indonesia is characterized by the tupai prosimians, from the chiropteran family - the kalong flying fox (the largest bats with a wingspan of up to 1.5 m) and the kalelawar. Interesting placental mammals are pangolins, covered with a scaly shell. In the eastern regions there are echidnas, some species of cuscus and tree kangaroos, and an anteater. Snakes and crocodiles are widespread in most areas of the island of Kalimantan, and the small island of Komodo, lying between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, is home to a giant (up to three meters in length) lizard - the Komodo dragon.

Other species of lizards also live (agamas, geckos, iguanas, toke, etc.). Orangutans and Komodo dragons are found only in Indonesia. The avifauna is unusually rich, represented especially widely on the islands of the southeast by such extremely exotic and variegated birds as the bird of paradise, peacock, hornbill, and cassowary. Added to this are a truly infinite number of varieties of parrots of all sizes and the manyar bird, which causes great damage to rice crops. Indonesia abounds in insects, including termites, ants, grasshoppers, and beetles.

The marine fauna of coastal waters is very diverse. The seas are home to thousands of species of ornamental and commercial fish (anchovies, gobies, flying fish, sardines, mackerel, tuna). In coastal waters there are many sharks - from small to very large, dolphins, sea turtles and stingrays. You can see sawfish, swordfish, barracuda, etc. Freshwater fish include cyprinids, catfishes, and carps. The tropical forests of Kalimantan are inhabited by numerous animals that have adapted to the conditions of existence in the dense and shady thicket. The lifestyle of most of them is in one way or another connected with trees, they climb trunks and branches, and glide while jumping from tree to tree. Many animals nest in hollows, fallen rotting leaves, and under tree roots. The forests of Kalimantan provide shelter to the “forest man” - the orangutan, numerous gibbons and slender monkeys. Of the prosimians, the most common are the slow loris and the ghost tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) - small animals with huge bulging round eyes and highly developed limbs adapted for climbing trees. Various feline predators are widespread, including the tiger. Occasionally, elephant, rhinoceros, and black-backed tapir are seen. Forest birds are diverse and richly represented. There are dozens of species of snakes, lizards, and turtles.

The territory of Kalimantan belongs to the Indo-Malayan zoogeographic region. In recent years, as forests are destroyed, the number of wild animals, especially large ones, has been declining. Elephants, gaur bulls, Sumatran rhinoceros, and tapirs are not numerous. Sambur and Muntjac deer are common, there are many wild boars, and bearded pigs are found in the swampy forests. Predators in the forests include tiger, leopard, black panther, and marten. There are many monkeys in the forests: orangutan, four species of gibbons, several species of macaques, and lorises. Lemurs are found and bats are numerous. In total, about 240 species of mammals live in the forests. The richness of Malaysia's avifauna is amazing, numbering approximately 600 species belonging to 70 families. Its most striking representatives are peacocks, wild chickens, pheasants, mynahs, white-eyes, woodpeckers, kingfishers, thrushes, quails, parrots and parakeets, wild pigeons, Malayan crow and others. In Malaysia, there are 25 species of turtles (including the green sea turtle, which breeds on the northern coast of Kalimantan), more than 100 species of lizards, 17 species of snakes (including the cobra, or spectacled snake, king cobra, reticulated python). Crocodiles, once abundant in the estuaries, are now on the verge of extinction, and gharial is occasionally seen. The insect fauna is especially numerous (about 150 thousand species, including 1000 species of butterflies).

Malaysia's coastal waters are home to hundreds of species of fish and more than 1,000 species of shellfish. Of commercial importance are mackerel, bonito, tuna, sardines, spearfish, sea bass, flying fish, swordfish, sailfish, sunfish, barracuda, sharks, rays, anchovies, mussels, octopus, squid, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and Large animals include sperm whales, dugongs, dolphins, and sea turtles.

The island was discovered to Europeans in 1521 by navigators from Magellan's expedition.

Etymology

The island is known by many names. In English it is known as Borneo. This word comes from the name of the sultanate Brunei, where the ships of F. Magellan's expedition anchored. The expedition spread it over the entire island in the form Borneo .

Indonesians call the island "Kalimantan". This word has several versions of its origin. According to one of them, it comes from the Sanskrit word “Kalamanthana”, which means “island of burning weather” (due to the hot and humid tropical weather on the island). According to the most common version, the word “Kalimantan” comes from the name of the local Clementan tribe. There are other translation options: “mango land” and “diamond river”.

Despite the fact that many place names in Indonesia have roots in Sanskrit, the name of the island has nothing to do with the name of the Indian goddess Kali.

Geography

With an area of ​​743,330 km², it is the third largest island in the world and the largest island in Asia.

The highest point on the island is Mount Kinabalu (4095 m) in the Malay state of Sabah. In the same part of the island there is an active volcano Bombalai.

The largest river system is the Kapuas (1143 km) in West Kalimantan. Other major rivers are Mahakam (980 km) in East Kalimantan, Barito (880 km) in South Kalimantan, and Rajang (562.5 km) in Sarawak, northwest Kalimantan.

Climate

The island of Kalimantan has an equatorial climate.

The average annual temperature is about +26 °C. The amount of precipitation is 2000-3000 mm per year, in the mountains up to 5000 mm or more.

Division

Nature

There are many mountains in Kalimantan. For the most part they are relatively low (1000-2000 m), but in the northeast, where the highest point on the island, Mount Kinabalu (4095 m), is located, it is much higher.

Kalimantan is an island with a huge variety of plant and animal species. Almost its entire territory is occupied by dense equatorial forests. There are areas of the island that are almost unexplored and perhaps there are species of animals and plants still unknown to science. Recently, expeditions exploring the area have discovered many previously unknown species.

The most interesting plant species are a huge number of orchids, Arnold's rafflesia (a plant with the largest flowers in the world - more than 100 cm wide and weighing more than 12 kg), a predatory plant nepenthes, feeding on insects and even small birds.

Typical mammals include orangutans, gibbons, Bornean clouded leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, and giant flying foxes. And proboscis monkeys are found only in Kalimantan.

Kalimantan is a paradise for birds. It is home to the most diverse range of bird species in the world, with over 1,500 species. There are a huge number of reptiles - many snakes, including the king cobra (the largest venomous snake in the world - up to 6 meters), the Malayan reticulated python (up to 10 m long), as well as many crocodiles and tree frogs.

Kalimantan forests and endemics

There are three forest ecoregions in Kalimantan:

Kalimantan's forests are 140 million years old and are among the oldest tropical forests in the world. They are home to 15,000 species of flowering plants, 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of land mammals and nesting places for 420 species of birds. There are about 440 species of freshwater fish in Kalimantan. The Kalimantan forest is one of the few remaining natural habitats for many endemic species, including the Kalimantan orangutan, Asian elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros, Kalimantan clouded leopard and Kalimantan civet.

Population

Kalimantan is home to 21.26 million inhabitants (as of 2014), the population density is 26.3 people/km². The majority of the population lives in coastal towns and engages in subsistence farming, although in the interior of the island there are small towns and villages along the rivers. Just like their ancestors thousands of years ago, people settled on rivers, in floating houses that are not afraid of floods.

Nationalities

Residents of Kalimantan belong to more than 300 ethnic groups speaking different languages.

The first people settled Kalimantan about 40 thousand years ago. These were people with typical Australian-Melanesian characteristics, similar to the Papuans. Residents with similar features still inhabit the island, mainly in the eastern and mountainous regions. Their number today is about 300,000 people.

The majority of the population is Dayak, with a total population of 3.7 million.

Religion

Story

The drawing of an animal from Liang Karim is dated to be up to 82.6 thousand years old, the handprint from Liang Tevet is dated to be up to 103.3 thousand years old (these are the maximum possible dates, in fact they can be much younger). A handprint from Lubang Jeri Saleh is estimated to be up to 51.8 thousand years old. The world's oldest undeniable ocher depiction of an animal was found in the Lubang Jeriji Saleh cave; its minimum age is 40 thousand years. [ ] .

The oldest known settlers sailed to Kalimantan from Africa more than 40 thousand years ago. The man from the Nia cave had a height of 1.4 m, a gracile skull without frontal and occipital relief, which is quite logical for the pygmy groups of melanesoids of the Negrito type. Skeletons from the pre-Neolithic layers of the Nia Cave (ancient 5 thousand years ago) are similar to Melanesians, skeletons from the Neolithic layers of the Nia Cave (2.5 thousand years ago) are more Mongoloid and may be the ancestors of the Dayaks.

13 thousand years ago they settled on the Malay Peninsula. The direct descendants of these people are the Negritos, who still live in Malaysia.

8 thousand years ago, Negritos settled north to East Asia and Taiwan. On the mainland, with an abundance of resources, natural selection ensured the survival of the tall and strong, and on the islands - the short ones, who could get by with less food. 3-5 thousand years ago, Polynesians from East Asia began to settle on the islands and push the Negritos into the mountains. The descendants of the Polynesians - the Dusuns, Muruts and Dayaks - today inhabit the interior of Kalimantan and the outlying islands of Indonesia, as well as the island of New Guinea almost entirely, and the Negritos have hardly survived. Both Polynesians and Negritos are considered the indigenous population - proto-Malays.

Around the 3rd century BC, in the territory of southern China, a meeting took place between the Mongoloids, who gradually settled from northwest Asia, and local peoples who came from the south. A mixed Mongol-Polynesian people gradually, migrating south, settled peninsular Malaysia and is now called the Deuteromalayans. The Deuteromalayans also settled on the coast of Kalimantan, and the interior areas were occupied by proto-Malay ethnic groups. Both of them, despite the huge ethnic difference, today are often called the indigenous inhabitants of Malaysia.

The first known early state formation on the territory of Kalimantan was the kingdom of Mulawarman, which arose in the 1st half of the 5th century. Evidence of this kingdom are the inscriptions on the sacrificial pillars of Mulavarman, which have survived to this day. Apart from the inscriptions of this king, no other epigraphic data on the history of Kalimantan of the 1st millennium AD has been preserved.

Russian trace. In the 30s of the last century, an outstanding scientist, former officer of the Russian Imperial Army, Colonel Petrushevsky Vladimir Aleksandrovich, lived in Borneo and studied volcanoes. His description of Borneo is available in letters and personal archives.

Languages

Resources

Attractions

Notes

1. // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
2. Apart from Cyprus, for more details see the article “List of islands divided between countries"
3. Kalimantan // Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. - M: AST. Pospelov E. M. 2001.
4. Central Kalimantan Province (undefined) . archipelago fastfact.
5. , p. 60.
6. Kalimantan (undefined) . geosfera.info (07/24/2012).

Borneo (Malay: Borneo), or Kalimantan (Indon: Kalimantan) is a bronze medal winner among the three largest islands in the world, located in the heart of the Malay Archipelago in the south-eastern part of Asia. The total area is 743,330 km². This is the only island in the world whose territory belongs to three states: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Most of it - Indonesian - includes four provinces (Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and South Kalimantan). The Malaysian part, covering about 26% of the total area, is divided into the states of Sarawak and Sabah. The latter is the most popular among tourists.

The shores of the island are washed by the waters of the South China Sea, the Sulawesi, Javanese, Sulu seas and the Makassar and Karimata straits. To the south of Borneo lies the island of Java, to the west are the Sulawesi Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, to the northwest are the Philippine Islands. Mount Kinabalu (4095 m), located in the state of Sabah in Malaysia, is the highest point of the island, as well as all of Southeast Asia.

The history of Borneo began more than 40 thousand years ago, when groups of people from China reached the island across an isthmus of land. This data is confirmed by the site of an ancient man discovered by researchers in the Nia Cave. During archaeological excavations, tools made of stone and the remains of ancient people were found. Rock paintings have been preserved in the cave to this day.

Mulu Cave:

The island of Borneo was put on geographical maps in 1521, when the ships of an expedition led by Magellan landed on its shores. The first mention of it was present in the works of Marco Polo dating back to the 13th century, but the date of its official discovery is still considered to be the year Magellan visited the island. Although Borneo had not existed on maps before, it was quite famous among the merchants of China, India, Japan and the Arab countries who traded with it.

Tip of the island of Borneo:

Later, writers Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham drew inspiration from this island, and the famous British scientist Alfred Russel Wallace studied the mechanisms of natural selection. Borneo's landscape is predominantly mountainous, with much of the area covered by jungle. The island's tropical forests, which are much older than the Amazon, are among the oldest in the world (approximately 130 million years old).

The flora and fauna of Borneo are extremely diverse: about 15 thousand flowering plants, 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of land mammals and 420 species of birds have been recorded on its territory. The island preserves a large number of endemic plant and animal species. The largest primate in the world, the orangutan, lives here, the largest flowers grow, rafflesias, and in the jungle you can find 10 species of predatory plants that eat insects, called nepentas.

Rehabilitation center for orangutans:

Rafflesia:

Carnivorous plant - nepentas:

Rare species of ferns, orchids and trees are found in the mountains.

Exotic fruit tarap:

One of the exotic indigenous inhabitants of the local forests is a plant from the Permian period - the tree fern. Another unique representative of the flora of Borneo is the so-called walking tree. It begins its life path as an ordinary tree, but having reached a certain height, its roots begin to grow from the middle of the trunk about a meter from the ground, while the base of the stem with the roots dries out. Having gotten rid of the burden, the walking tree acquires the ability to move in search of moisture and more fertile places.

Proboscis monkey on the roots of a walking tree:

The island's forests provide an important refuge for many endemic species, including the Asian elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros, Bornean clouded leopard and Kalimantan civet.

Baby Sumatran rhinoceros:

Clouded leopard:

Striped Palm Civet:

Borneo is home to several unusual animals - for example, the binturong, or cat-bear, which combines the features of these two animals in its appearance. Another strange representative of the local fauna is a miniature bear that eats bananas. The island’s avifauna also has its own unique species – a bird that very skillfully imitates the sounds of human speech.

Binturong:

Malay kalao:

Indonesia, Kalimantan, Indonesia

general information

One of the three largest islands on the planet, the island has a dual name: “Kalimantan” (in Indonesian) or “Borneo” (in Malay).

This huge piece of land is home to three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Therefore, traveling around the island of Kalimantan, you can see the sights of three countries.

The largest part of the island belongs to Indonesia and is divided into four Indonesian provinces, corresponding to the geographical location: South, West, East and Central Kalimantan.

The island is washed by four seas and is located in the center of the Malay Archipelago. To the south of the coast is the island of Java. The Makassar Strait separates Kalimantan from the island of Sulawesi, and the South China Sea from the island of Sumatra.

The main attraction of Indonesian Kalimantan is the incredibly beautiful nature of the subtropical jungle that grows along the main Kapuas River.

How to get to Kalimantan

Many Indonesian and international airlines operate flights to Kalimantan airports. The main airports are in the cities of Balikpapan, Banjarmasin and Pontianak. The flight from there takes from one and a half to two hours, and from there - about one and a half hours. The cost of an air ticket is 480,000-595,000 Indian rupees.

It is possible to travel by sea between the islands of Indonesia using a ferry, but this will take at least two days.

From Pontianak there are ferries to Jakarta (45 hours by sea) and to Semarang (48 hours). Ferries also depart from Sampit Port to Surabaya (30 hours) and from Kumai Port to Semarang (28 hours). The island of Sulawesi can be reached from the city port of Balikpapan (20-26 hours travel).

Major cities of Kalimantan

Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin, the administrative center of South Kalimantan, is interesting for its urban architecture and numerous canals. The symbol of the city is the Sabilal Mukhtadin mosque with tall minarets. Floating markets can often be seen along the Barito River and its adjacent river canals. Not far from the city are the Diamond Mines, where precious stones are mined.

Pontianak

The capital of West Kalimantan, Pontianak is often called the “equator city” because it is located on the equatorial line of the Earth. This is evidenced by the Monument installed in the central city square.

Among the important architectural sites of Pontianak are the Sultan's Palace of Kadriah, the Abdurrahman Mosque, the Museum of Porcelain and Ceramics, and the City Museum with an interesting exhibition dedicated to the culture of local tribes (including the Dayak tribe).

Samarinda

The central city of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan, Samarinda is located in the Mahakam River delta. The city is famous for its buildings on rafts and stilts. It is also a major commercial port.

Balikpapan

From the port city of Balikpapan, ferries and ships regularly depart to the neighboring island of Sulawesi and beyond. There are several hotels and diving centers on the city beaches.

Sights of Kalimantan

The island of Kalimantan is kept away from developing civilization. There are no ancient historical monuments or resort entertainment to be found here.

The indigenous Dayak people of the island stubbornly adhere to their traditions. You can get acquainted with the culture, customs and traditional crafts in the Dayak villages (in the western part of the island).

The splendor of tropical nature, the uniqueness and diversity of flora and fauna are revealed in numerous national parks (Kayan Mentarang, Sebangau, Tanjung Puting and others) scattered across the island of Kalimantan.

Kayan Mentarang National Park is a reserve for many species of feathered inhabitants, monkeys, predators and reptiles.

The Gunung Palung Park Reserve, together with the territory of Kebun Raya Sambas, is a unique ecological area representing the world of flora and fauna from coastal waters and wetlands to relict mountain forest.

Entertainment in Kalimantan

The island of Kalimantan attracts lovers of active recreation. The vast seas surrounding the island, with a rich and varied underwater world, are a great place for diving fans.

The stormy rivers of Kalimantan promise an interesting journey on boats and rafts.

Connoisseurs of pristine nature and conquerors of the wild jungle will also find something to do here. 70% of the area of ​​the island of Kalimantan is impenetrable jungle.