Borneo (Malay: Pulau Borneo, Indonesian: Kalimantan), a giant, rugged island, is the 3rd-largest island in the World and the largest in Asia.
Borneo is politically divided among 3 countries: Malaysia and Brunei in the North, and Indonesia to the South. Approximately 73% of the Island is Indonesia territory. In relation to major Indonesian Islands, Borneo is located North of Java, West of Sulawesi, and East of Sumatra.
In earlier times, the Island was known by other names. In 977 CE, Chinese records began to use the term Po-Ni. In 1225CE, it was also mentioned by the term Chau Ju-Kua. In 1365 CE, a Javanese manuscript mentioned the Island as Nusa Tanjungnagara which means "the Island of the Tanjungpura Kingdom.
The Borneo rainforest is estimated to be around 140 million years old, making it one of the oldest rainforersts in the World. The Kapuas River, at 1000 km/620mi in length, is the longest river in Borneo.
There are about 440 freshwater fish species. Also there are about 15,000 species of flowering plants with 3,000 species of trees. In our days, half of the World's global timber acquisition comes from Borneo. In 1975, 75% of the country was covered in rain-forest. Now, only 50% is covered.
According to ancient Chinese (977 CE), Indian, and Japanese manuscripts, Wester coastal cities of Borneo had become trading ports by the 1rst millennium CE. Gold, camphor tortoise shells, hornbill ivory, rhinoceros horn, crane crest, beeswax, lakawood (a scented heartwood and root wood of a thick liana), dragon's blood, rattan, edible bird's nests and various spices were described among the most valuable items from Borneo.
Archaeological findings in the Sarawak River Delta reveal that the area was a thriving centre of trade between India and China from the 6th century until about 1300.
The Dayak people are the native people of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups, located principally in the Central and Southern interior of Borneo, each with its own dialect, customs, laws, territory and culture, although common distinguishing traits are readily identifiable. They possess an account of their history mostly in oral literature, partly in writing in wooden records, and partly in common cultural customary practices.
Among prominent accounts of the origin of the Dayak people is the mythical oral epic that narrates that the ancestors of the Dayak people descended from the heavens before moving from the inland to the downstream shores of Borneo.
