Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
three longest rivers are all in Kalimantan: Sungai Kapuas (1143km), Sungai Mahakam
(980km) and Sungai Barito (890km).
Mountains dominate much of the centre of the island, running on a diagonal axis from
Mt Kinabalu in the northeast, southwestward into West Kalimantan. Unlike many islands
in Indonesia and the Philippines, Borneo does not have any active volcanoes because it is
part of a very stable continental shelf.
Extensive deposits of limestone in northern
Borneo show where ancient coral reefs were
buried under thousands of metres of sediment,
then lifted to form ranges of hills and moun-
tains. In some areas, water has dissolved the
limestone to form vast caves. Sarawak's
Gunung Mulu National Park is one of the
world's premier limestone landscapes, boasting towering rock pinnacles and the world's
second-largest cave chamber. Niah National Park is also famous for its huge caves.
Borneo's most celebrated peak is 4095m Mt Kinabalu in Sabah, the highest mountain
between the Himalayas and New Guinea and arguably the epicentre of Borneo's fabulous
biodiversity. This colossal dome of granite, forced through the earth's crust as molten rock
10 to 15 million years ago, continues to rise about 5mm a year. Despite its location just
north of the equator, Mt Kinabalu was high enough to be exquisitely sculpted by glaciers
during the ice ages.
Borneo has two Unesco World Heritage sites:
Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak and Kin-
abalu National Park in Sabah.
Habitats
Borneo has dozens of highly specialised ecosystems. Following are the main ones you're
likely to encounter.
Coral Reef
Borneo's fabled coral reefs are part of the 'Coral Triangle', a fantastically rich portion of
the South China Sea that's home to 75% of the world's coral species and over 3000 types
of marine fish. Reefs are in the best shape along the northeast coast of Borneo, where the
water is clear and free of sediment. The islands of Sipadan in Sabah and Derawan in East
Kalimantan have the greatest concentrations of reefs. Other protected areas include Tun
Sakaran Marine Park in Sabah and Talang-Satang National Park in Sarawak.
