Borneo

Third-largest island in the world, one of the Sunda Islands in the West Pacific; area 754,000 sq km/290,000 sq mi; population (2000 est) 15,969,500. It comprises the country of Brunei; the Malaysian territories of Sabah and Sarawak; and, occupying by far the largest part, the Indonesian territory of Kalimantan. It is mountainous and densely forested. A forest fire in early 1998 destroyed 30,000 sq km/11,583 sq mi of forest.

In coastal areas the people of Borneo are mainly of Malaysian origin, with a few Chinese, and the interior is inhabited by the indigenous Dyaks. It was formerly under both Dutch and British colonial influence until Sarawak was formed in 1841.