Where are the Greater Sunda Islands? They belong to the Malay Archipelago. The islands are located in the region of Southeast Asia, between two oceans - the Pacific and the Indian. To the north, they border the Malay Peninsula.
Short description
The area of the islands is just over 1.5 million square meters. km. They consist of 4 large islands, as well as a large number of small ones, such as Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, etc. The Greater Sunda Islands are the largest island group on the planet. About 180 million people live on the islands.
Let's take a closer look at some of the islands in this group.
Kalimantan
The largest of the Greater Sunda Islands is Kalimantan (another name is Borneo). Its area is 743 thousand square meters. km. It is one of the three largest islands in the world. Another feature of the island is that its territory is divided between several countries at once: Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. Kalimantan is washed by 4 seas and 2 straits at once. If we compare all the Greater Sunda Islands,it is only in Kalimantan that the flat terrain prevails. However, mountainous terrain is also present on this landmass. The highest peak of the island is the city of Kinabalu (more than 4 thousand meters). Also on the territory of Borneo is the active volcano Bombalai. The river system is also relatively densely represented. The largest river is the Kapuas. It has a length of more than one thousand kilometers. Other major rivers are Barito, Mahakam, Rajang.
Sumatra
To the west of Kalimantan lies the island of Sumatra. In such a system as the Greater Sunda Islands, it ranks second in size, and sixth in the world ranking. Its area is more than 470 thousand square meters. km. Territorially belongs to the state of Indonesia. The equator border runs along the central part of the island, dividing this piece of land into two identical parts located in different hemispheres. Sumatra has an elongated shape. The southwestern part of the island is dominated by mountainous relief, where there are a large number of active volcanoes. Sumatra is a seismically active region of the planet. Earthquakes are not uncommon here. The highest point is Kerinci volcano (3800 m). The rest of the island is flat. There are many rivers in Sumatra.
Sulawesi
The third largest island - Sulawesi, has an area of 174 thousand square meters. km. Located east of Kalimantan. It is washed by two seas - Banda and Sulawesi, as well as the Makassar Strait. The very shape of this island is unique and interesting. It consists of four pronounced, oblong peninsulas,joining in the western part. These so-called offshoots are mostly of the flat type. The people live in these areas. The central part is mountainous, and therefore the connection between the peninsulas is quite difficult.
Java
Describing the Greater Sunda Islands, it is impossible not to talk about Java. This is the smallest of all that are included in this system. Java has an area of about 130 thousand square meters. km. The island is very elongated from east to west. Its length is more than one thousand kilometers. This piece of land belongs to the state of Indonesia, the capital is located on this island. Its central territory is occupied by mountains, the rest is jungle. The population lives mainly on the coast of the island, as there are simply no conditions for a normal life of people away from it.
Conclusion
The Greater Sunda Islands belong to the equatorial climatic zone, and also have a rich flora and fauna. This area is not deprived of minerals. There are large reserves of tin and oil. The population is engaged in tropical agriculture, actively exporting spices, rubber, rice, tea and coconut palm products.
