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Male orangutan, Indonesia

This section highlights the flora and fauna of Southeast Asia -- specifically Indonesia (including Kalimantan, Borneo), the Malaysian Peninsula and Thailand.

On this page you can see some of the plants of Southeast Asia.  We also have pages on the primates of Southeast Asia, the birds of Southeast Asia, and other animals of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The natural vegetation and habitats of the parts of Southeast Asia that we sailed through (or visited overland) are incredibly varied, ranging from the semi-arid scrub of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, to the riverine forests of southern Borneo, (Kalimantan, Indonesia), the rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia to the arid hills of Thailand.  Animals as varied as the huge Komodo Dragon, the Indo-Chinese Tiger, Orangutans, colorful parrots and the White Bellied Sea Eagle occupy ecological niches in the region.  This section highlights some of the main animals and plants of those parts of Southeast Asia that we visited - Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.  We've also published pages on the primates (apes and monkeys), birds, and other animals such as the reptiles, tigers and elephants of Malaysia and Thailand.

An invaluable guide to understanding the ecology of the tropical world is A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics by Marco Lambertini.

Bird of Paradise flower, Malaysia

Indonesia stretches over 5,000km (3,000 miles) and has the richest diversity of flora and fauna in all of Asia.  From the mountainous interior of Papua to the rain forests of Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan (Borneo) -- From the coral reefs of the Banda Sea (and the largest coastal surface area of any tropical country) to the semi-arid regions of the south east.  The only two countries on earth with more forested land are Brazil and the DRC (Congo).  Indonesia is rated one of only 6 countries in the world with “mega‑diversity”.  It ranks first in the world for swallowtail butterflies, second for mammal species (515, with 40% endemic), fourth for reptiles (511 species) and fifth for birds (1,531 species with 400 endemics.)  Indonesia has 33 monkey species (half of which are endemic), ranking it higher than any other Asian country.

That being said, travel in Indonesia is difficult off the beaten track, and we were blessed to be able to see so much by sailboat.  It is such a vast area that to appreciate all of its wondrous flora and fauna would take ten lifetimes!

FLORA

There is absolutely no way we could present all the thousands of plant species found in SE Asia, but here are a few fruits, crops and plants that are very common or we found particularly interesting. (Clicking on a picture brings up a larger image.)

Sweet Cat's Eye Fruits, Malaysia	Succulent, smelly Durian Fruit	Luscious Mangosteen sections	Softly spikey, Rambutan Fruit
Papayas are everywhere	Juicy Timorese Oranges	Sap from Lontar palms makes sugar	Coffee beans, high on Flores Is.
Coconuts are a staple in SE Asia	Corn is a staple in SE Indonesia	Rice is the #1 staple of SE Asia	Seaweed is harvested & dried

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