I.

Introduction

Borneo, third-largest island in the world (after Greenland and New Guinea), in the Malay Archipelago, south-eastern Asia. Borneo is bounded on the east by the Sulu Sea, the Celebes Sea, and the Strait of Makassar; on the south by the Java Sea; and on the west and north by the South China Sea. Politically, Borneo is divided into Sabah and Sarawak, which are states of Malaysia; Brunei, an independent sultanate; and Kalimantan, part of Indonesia. The area is about 743,325 sq km (287,000 sq mi).