Malay Archipelago

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Malay Archipelago
Location Malay Archipelago.png
Location Southeast Asia, Oceania
Total islands 25,000 - 30,000
Area 2,000,000 km2 (770,000 sq mi)
Highest point
Population 350 million.[2]
Ethnic groups Austronesian peoples, Malay, Overseas Chinese
Wallace's Line; Bali and Lombok, unmarked, are to the south-west end

The Malay Archipelago refers to the archipelago between mainland Southeastern Asia and Australia.[3]

It has also been called the East Indies, the Indo-Australian Archipelago, Indonesian Archipelago and other names over time.

The archipelago is between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The group has over 25,000 islands. It is the largest archipelago by area, and third by number of islands in the world. It includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, East Malaysia and East Timor.[4]

The island of New Guinea or islands of Papua New Guinea are not always included in definitions of the Malay Archipelago.[4][5] The Indonesian Moluccas are included in the archipelago.

Natural history[change | change source]

The Malay Archipelago is the place where two large tectonic plates meet, and is an area where orogeny (mountains) and volcanoes are common.

The Wallace Line is a key term in biogeography. It passes between Bali and Lombok, which are separated by a passage of water which is both deep and fast. On the one side are Australasian species, and on the other side Asian species. The natural history of the area was investigated by Alfred Russel Wallace, who spent eight years in the Spice Islands.[6][7][8][9]


References[change | change source]

  1. Moores, Eldridge M.; Fairbridge, Rhodes Whitmore (1997). Encyclopedia of European and Asian regional geology. Springer. p. 377. ISBN 0412740400. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  2. Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division. "World Population prospects, table A.2" (PDF). 2006 revision. United Nations. Retrieved on 30 June 2007.
  3. Wallace, Alfred Russel (1869). The Malay Archipelago. London: Macmillan. p. 1.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Malay Archipelago." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2006. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
  5. "Maritime Southeast Asia." Worldworx Travel. Accessed 26 May 2009.
  6. Wallace A.R. 1869. The Malay Archpelago. Macmillan, London.
  7. Wallace A.R. 1876. The geographical distribution of animals. 2 vols, Macmillan, London.
  8. Wallace A.R. 1878. Tropical nature. Macmillan, London.
  9. Wallace A.R. 1880. Island life. Macmillan, London.