GENERAL FEATURES OF MALAYSIA 17 



In this extensive chain of volcanic mountains many 

 attain great heights, especially in Sumatra and Java. 

 Each of these islands has one mountain about 12,000 

 feet high, while the former has four and the latter ten 

 which exceed 10,000 feet. In no other part of the 

 chain, except in Bali and Lombok, immediately east of 

 Java, are there any heights which approach these. Lom- 

 bok Peak is probably nearly 12,500 feet. The highest 

 volcanoes of the Philippines and IsTorthern Celebes are 

 about 7000 or 8000 feet, and those of the Moluccas from 

 5000 to 6000, if we except Labua in Batjan, which is 

 probably over 7000 feet. Besides Lombok, there is only 

 one mountain in the whole Malay Archipelago that ex- 

 ceeds in height the lofty peaks of Sumatra and Java — the 

 isolated mass of Kina Balu, near the northern extremity 

 of Borneo, which is said to be 13,698 feet high, and 

 which is probably far higher than any other mountain in 

 the island, or than any non-volcanic mountain in the 

 whole archipelago. The summit of Kina Balu is syenitic 

 granite, and it probably represents a portion of the most 

 ancient extension of the Asiatic continent in Tertiary or 

 Secondary times, since it contains plants allied to some 

 now only found in temperate Australia. 



Prom the position of these Malayan islands between 

 19° north and 10° south of the equator, they all enjoy 

 that equability of climate and abundance of moisture 

 which are so highly favourable to the growth of arboreal 

 vegetation, and which have produced the great forest-belt 

 everywhere girdling the earth in the equatorial zone. 

 Hence the general condition of almost all the islands, 

 where not interfered with by man, is to be co\'ered with 

 luxuriant tropical forests, and this forest -covering is 

 universal except on the very highest summits or pre- 

 cipitous rocky slopes of the mountains. There is only 



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