Waterfalls

Kalimantan (Borneo) is the third-largest island in the world. Three countries share Borneo: Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia.

Borneo is home to the world’s most dense and remote rainforests, as well as about 12 million people, 75 percent of whom live in Indonesia’s Kalimantan (KAH-lee-MAHN-tahn) region. Given the harsh nature of Kalimantan’s interior and lowlands, most settlements are along the rivers and coasts. Indonesia governs the southern two-thirds of Borneo, while

Malaysia and Brunei control smaller northern and western sections. Indonesia calls its region Kalimantan, which is divided into four provinces:

♦ Central Kalimantan, with the capital of Palangkaraya

♦ East Kalimantan, with the capital of Samarinda

♦ South Kalimantan, with the capital of Banjarmasin

♦ West Kalimantan, with the capital of Pontianak

Kalimantan is Indonesia’s second-largest province. It generates a substantial amount of wealth for the country because of its vast natural resources, including timber and gold. Its extensive oil reserves are now a key part of Indonesia’s economy, and diamonds, rare woods, rattan, and resin also are harvested from the island’s interior.

Technorati Tags: Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, largest islands

Fish Market

In addition to the rich culture, Indonesia is full of natural resources. Timber, oil, natural gas, metals, and other ores are fueling this country’s economy. Indonesia is a member of the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC); however, it currently is a net importer of oil.

Agriculture plays a very significant role throughout Indonesia. Millions of people farm for their own sustenance, but the country also exports several crops, such as coffee, tea, rice, coconuts, bananas, corn, rubber, and spices. Visitors can see large rice fields on several of the islands. Indonesia, however, is a net importer of rice since its booming population has outpaced the growth of agricultural production. Other major products include textiles, timber, coal, tin, copper, rice, pepper, and palm oil. Indonesia’s major trading partners include Japan, China, the United States, and Singapore.

Despite the setbacks caused by sporadic terrorism and the deadly tsunami that hit Sumatra and the Nias islands in 2004, Indonesian tourism is growing.

Technorati Tags: Indonesia, Indonesian economy, Indonesian tourism, agriculture in Indonesia