Borneo
Borneo () is the third-largest island in the world, with an area of 748,168 km2 (288,869 sq mi), and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda Islands, located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and east of Sumatra. The island is crossed by the equator, which divides it roughly in half. In Indonesia, the island is also known as Kalimantan, which is also the name of the Indonesian region located on the island.
The geology of Borneo was formed beginning in the Mesozoic. It formed part of Sundaland, a region connected to mainland Asia, until it became isolated by sea level rise at the end of the Last Glacial Period. With seven unique ecoregions, including large expanses of some of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world, Borneo is rich in biodiversity and endemic species.
Archaeological evidence indicates that Borneo has been inhabited by humans for tens of thousands of years. The island is home to hundreds of Indigenous communities, cultures and languages, many of which have traditionally been grouped under the broad term "Dayak". Trading settlements on Borneo were connected to regional maritime networks by the first millennium CE.
Several kingdoms and sultanates subsequently emerged around the island's coasts. The Sultanate of Brunei, established in the 14th century, developed into one of the principal maritime powers of northern Borneo. Its period of greatest regional influence is generally associated with the reign of Sultan Bolkiah in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when Bruneian authority or influence extended over substantial parts of coastal Borneo and into parts of the southern Philippines.
The Sultanate of Sulu also became an important maritime power in the Sulu Sea and exercised authority or influence over parts of northeastern Borneo. The island's interior, however, remained politically diverse and was largely governed by numerous Indigenous communities and local systems of authority rather than by a single state.
Since decolonisation, Borneo has been politically divided among three sovereign states. Approximately 73% of the island forms part of Indonesia, comprising the five provinces collectively known as Kalimantan. About 26% consists of the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, while the sovereign state of Brunei occupies a small area on the island's northwestern coast. Brunei is the only sovereign state whose principal territory lies wholly on Borneo; Indonesia and Malaysia both extend far beyond the island.
Approximately 73% of Borneo is Indonesian territory, and in the north, the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak make up about 26% of the island. The Malaysian federal territory of Labuan is situated on a small island just off the coast of Borneo.
The majority of Borneo's inhabitants reside in coastal cities. It is the site of Indonesia's planned future capital, Nusantara. Major economic sectors include oil and gas, agriculture, timber and tourism. Industrial deforestation in Indonesian and Malaysian Borneo for timber and agricultural conversion has taken place during the past century.
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