CHAPTER VII 



THE PALAEOTROPICS-Continued 



MALAYA AND POLYNESIA 



The long Malay Peninsula, the southernmost point of Conti- 

 nental Asia, together with the chain of large islands, the Malay 

 Archipelago, is rivalled in the richness of its flora only by equatorial 

 America. The tip of the Peninsula almost touches the equator 

 which bisects the great islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Celebes, 

 with Java and the southern Philippines less than ten degrees 

 away. 



These regions enjoy a climate that varies but little in tempera- 

 ture throughout the year, and in much of the regions there is no 

 marked dry season, while in many districts the rainfall is extremely 

 heavy. Where, as in western Java, Sumatra and Borneo, the 

 uniform high temperature and heavy rainfall are combined with 

 rich alluvial or volcanic soils, there results a luxuriance of vegeta- 

 tion that can scarcely be rivalled anywhere, and these regions 

 are a veritable botanist's paradise. 



The Peninsula is traversed by a central mountain range, rising 

 to a height of 7,000-8,000 feet, but for the most part much lower. 

 This range is composed mainly of granite, but there are more or 

 Less extensive limestone deposits in some districts. These lime- 

 stone formations sometimes contain extensive caves, which are 

 interesting biologically, as they harbor a number of peculiar 

 species of animals. 



At the foot of the central mountain range is a coastal plain, 

 wider along the east coast than on the west side. This coastal 

 plain is (or was) heavily forested for the most part. Along the 

 west coast are extensive mangrove formations and swamps, with 

 very little sandy shore, while the eastern coast has many sandy 

 beaches. 



Until comparatively recent times, the vegetable resources of this 

 region had been but slightly exploited, except for local consump- 



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