7 Interesting Facts About Borneo

Kalimantan is an island in Indonesia’s territory that has not been explored much by tourists. Though, there are many interesting things to explore from Kalimantan which includes history, culture and its natural beauty.

 

Kalimantan Island, better known as the Island of Borneo, is a very large island located in the Southeast Asian region. The island is squeezed by the island of Sulawesi and also Java. Borneo is very beautiful with all its uniqueness.

 

Next, we will present interesting facts about Borneo for your additional information before planning to visit this island.

 

 

1. Borneo is the 3rd largest island in the world, after Papua and Greenland.

 

third largest island in the world is borneo

 

With an area of 743,330 km², Borneo ranks third on the list of the largest islands in the world. Besides being known as an island rich in natural resources, Borneo is also listed as one of the largest islands in the world.

 

 

2. The only island in the world controlled by 3 countries

 

Administratively, Borneo is controlled by 3 countries, which are Malaysia (part of Sabah and Sarawak), Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia.

 

 

3. The oldest tropical rainforest

 

tropical rainforest in borneo

 

Tropical Rainforest to exist on the island of Borneo is the oldest tropical rainforest in the world which is around 130 million years old.

 

 

4. The safest island from earthquake

 

Of all the islands in Indonesia, Borneo is the safest island from the earthquake attacks. It is only adjacent to the earthquake plate in the Makassar Strait and only small part of the island could be affected from earth tremor, so the potential for an earthquake in Kalimantan is very small. Volcanoes also don’t exist on Borneo, making the island much more safer.

 

 

5. The second largest earth lung in the world

 

borneo is the second largest earth lung in the world

 

The 88,000,000 hectares rainforest on Borneo is said to be the second largest earth lung in the world after the Amazon Rainforest in South America and is home to 15,000 species of flowering plants, 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of mammals and 420 species of birds.

 

 

6. Home to rare species

 

Tropical rain forests in Kalimantan are the only native habitat of endangered Bornean Orang Utan (Pongo Pygmaeus). Borneo’s forests are also a natural habitat for proboscis monkeys, Borneo elephants, Borneo rhinos, porcupines, deer, tapirs and some endangered species. There are also some rare endemic fruits typical of Borneo as well.

 

 

7. Dayak Tribe

 

one of dayak tribe ethnic group

 

The original inhabitants of Borneo are the Dayaks. The Dayak Tribe itself is divided into approximately 200 ethnic groups based on culture, region, law and language. So in this case the Borneo can be considered as an island that has a variety of languages and cultures.

 

 

8. The largest jellyfish

 

kakaban lake where the jellyfishes live

 

In East Kalimantan there is a largest jellyfish lake in the world called Lake Kakaban. This lake has some rare jellyfish that don’t sting. Kakaban is also very famous in the world as a lake that has 4 different types of jellyfish. The four types of jellyfish are moon jellyfish, spotted jellyfish, box jellyfish and upside-down jellyfish. Because of its uniqueness, Kakaban Island is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination which have to be preserved.

 

 

9. Sebangau National Park

 

sebangau national park

Credit: Travelingyuk

 

Home to the only endangered species on the island of Borneo is located in the Sebangau National Park. To be able to visit this place is not easy indeed. Tourists must go through the asphalt road, then the winding road, through the dense forest and also must take a boat to get to this Sebangau National Park.

 

 

10. Home to Rawa Amuntai Buffalo that live on the water

 

Rawa Amuntai Buffalo

Credit: Steller

 

The limited land in Kalimantan, which is pressured by the vast oil palm plantations, has forced the people of Danau Panggang Village to raise buffaloes using the swamps. Borneo is touted as the island of thousand rivers. From above, Borneo has more waters than the mainland. Amuntai Rawa Buffalo is actually an attractive tourist destination in Amuntai, Borneo. From the boat you can become the swamp buffalo shepherd. Lead them out of the cage and put them again just before dusk.

 

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