Borneo is located south of Taiwan at ca. 2,644 kilometers, if measured along a straight line. Part of the Malay Archipelago, it is a continental island.

To the northeast are the Philippine Islands. To the east are Sulawesi and New Guinea. To the south, across the Java Sea, is the island of Java. To the west are West Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra.

The entire island of Borneo is located in the tropics. The equator passes through the center, dividing the island into two, at the boundary of the southern and northern hemispheres. 

Borneo has an area of 743,330 square kilometers. Taiwan is only one-20th the size of Borneo. Most of the island’s population is in coastal areas where there is convenient transportation. Inland transportation relies on rivers, along which there are settlements. According to 2023 statistics, Borneo has a population of 21.25 million, with 30.8 people per square kilometer, compared with as many as 650 people in Taiwan!

Borneo is governed by three countries:
Indonesia (Kalimantan) is located in the south of the island and occupies about two-thirds of the land area.

East Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan) is in the northern part of the island, occupying the remaining one-third of the land area.
The territory governed by Brunei comprises about one percent of the island’s total area. It has been dubbed “the Dubai of Southeast Asia,” as it mainly exports oil and natural gas.