Borneo

Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, covering an area of 748,168 km². Located in the heart of Maritime Southeast Asia, it lies north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and east of Sumatra. The island is split by the equator, making its climate warm and wet throughout the year.

Borneo is home to some of the oldest tropical rainforests on Earth, which host an amazing variety of plants and animals. The island has seven unique ecoregions and is very rich in biodiversity, with many species found nowhere else in the world.

People have lived in Borneo for over 65,000 years. Today, it is divided among three countries. The small nation of Brunei sits in the north. Most of the island, about 73%, belongs to Indonesia and is called Kalimantan. The northern part is part of Malaysia, specifically the states of Sabah and Sarawak. Many people live in coastal cities, and the island is known for its oil and gas, agriculture, timber, and tourism.

Etymology

The name Borneo comes from different sources and cultures. An old Javanese book from 1365 called the island Nusa Tanjungnagara, meaning "island of the Tanjungpura Kingdom". When Portuguese explorers arrived in the 1500s, the people there called their island Pulu K'lemantang, which led to the name Kalimantan used in Indonesian today.

Internationally, the island is known as Borneo, a name that began with European contact with the Brunei kingdom in the 16th century. The name may come from an old Sanskrit word meaning "water" or referring to a Hindu god of rain. Chinese records from 977 also used the term Bo-ni to refer to the island.

Geography

See also: Geological history of Borneo

Borneo is the third-largest island in the world. It lies at the center of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and east of Sumatra. The island is crossed by the equator, which divides it roughly in half.

Borneo is home to some of the world's oldest rainforests, which are important for many rare animals like the Bornean orangutan and the Bornean elephant. The island also has many rivers, with the Kapuas River being the longest. Borneo has many caves, some of which are among the largest in the world, housing millions of bats and other wildlife.

See also: Biodiversity of Borneo, Fauna of Borneo, Flora of Borneo, List of endemic birds of Borneo, and List of mammals of Borneo

History

Early history

Archaeological evidence from Samang Buat Cave in Lahad Datu, Sabah, shows that humans lived there around 46,000 years ago, making it an important early site in Southeast Asia. Tools found in Mansuli Valley date back even further, to about 235,000 years ago.

In Tingkayu Valley in Kunak, Sabah, traces of ancient communities from 28,000 to 30,000 years ago have been found. In Niah Cave in Sarawak, human presence dates back to around 40,000 years ago. Scientists discovered very old paintings of an unknown animal in the cave of Lubang Jeriji Saléh on Borneo, made over 40,000 years ago.

Ancient manuscripts from China, India, and Japan mention that by the first millennium AD, western coastal cities of Borneo had become important trading ports. Valuable items traded included gold, camphor, tortoise shells, hornbill ivory, rhinoceros horn, and spices.

Stone pillars with inscriptions from the 4th century, found in Kutai along the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan, show early Hindu influence in Southeast Asia. By the 14th century, Borneo became part of the Majapahit empire from present-day Indonesia, and later aligned with the Ming dynasty of China. Islam arrived in the 10th century, brought by Muslim traders.

The Sultanate of Brunei declared independence from Majapahit in the mid-14th century. During its golden age from the 15th to the 17th century, the Bruneian sultanate controlled much of coastal Borneo and parts of the southwestern Philippines. In 1457, the Sultanate of Sulu was founded, and it later expanded its influence in northern Borneo.

British and Dutch control

After the fall of Malacca in 1511, the Portuguese traded with Borneo but did not try to conquer it. The Spanish conquered some Bruneian areas in the Philippines, leading to the Castilian War in 1578. The British began trading with southern Borneo in 1609, and the Dutch started in 1644.

The Dutch set up posts in southern Borneo in 1815. In 1842, the Sultanate of Brunei gave large areas of Sarawak to the British adventurer James Brooke, who became the first White Rajahs of Sarawak. Brooke also added the island of Labuan to Great Britain in 1846.

By 1888, northern Borneo became a British protectorate, and southern Borneo became a Dutch protectorate. The Dutch and British agreed on their borders in Borneo to avoid conflicts.

In the late 19th century, oil was discovered in east Borneo, leading to the growth of refineries and the development of the area.

World War II

During World War II, Japanese forces occupied Borneo from 1941 to 1945. Many people moved to the interior to escape. Resistance movements formed, and some indigenous groups fought against the Japanese. Allied forces, including Australia, helped liberate Borneo by 1945.

Recent history

After World War II, the southern part of Borneo became part of Indonesia following its independence in 1945. The northern part, including Sarawak and Sabah, became British crown colonies in 1946.

In 1961, plans began for a new federation called the Federation of Malaysia, which would include Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo, and Brunei. Indonesia and the Philippines opposed this, leading to conflicts. After a commission studied the wishes of the people, Malaysia was formed in 1963, including northern Borneo.

In August 2019, Indonesia announced plans to move its capital from Jakarta to a new location in East Kalimantan province on Borneo.

Demographics

The demonym for Borneo is Bornean. In 2020, Borneo had a population of 23,053,723 people, with a density of 30.8 inhabitants per square kilometre. Most people live in coastal cities, while smaller towns and villages can be found along rivers in the interior.

Borneo is home to many different Indigenous peoples and cultures. The term Dayak is often used to describe non-Muslim Indigenous groups, including the Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, and Ngaju. Historically, many of these groups lived in communal longhouses and practiced shifting cultivation to grow their food.

Administration

Borneo is split among three countries. The small country of Brunei controls a part of the island, including an area called Temburong. Indonesia manages several regions called provinces, such as East, South, West, North, and Central Kalimantan. Lastly, two states — Sabah and Sarawak — along with the area known as Labuan, belong to Malaysia.

Economy

Borneo's economy is based on several key areas, including agriculture, logging, mining, oil and gas, and ecotourism. Brunei relies heavily on oil and gas production, making it one of the largest producers in Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, the states of Sabah and Sarawak are major exporters of timber. Sabah is also known for producing rubber, cacao, and vegetables, as well as for its fisheries. Additionally, Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan export liquefied natural gas and petroleum. The Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan mainly depend on mining, though they are also involved in logging and oil and gas exploration.

Main articles: List of Indonesian provinces by GDP, List of Indonesian provinces by GRP per capita, and List of Malaysian states by GDP

Human Development Index by territory

Further information: List of Indonesian provinces by Human Development Index and List of Malaysian states by Human Development Index

HDI is a way to measure how well people are doing in life. It looks at things like how long people live, their health, how much they learn in school, and how much money they have. This helps us understand how different places compare in making life better for their people.