South East Asia (7 galleries)

South East Asia comprises a small but distinct part of the Asian continent, plus a seemingly endless collection of large and small islands, some similar to one another, others dramatically different. The region and in particular the array of islands is biologically amongst the richest and most complex on earth.

It is home to iconic species like orang-utans (the only great apes outside Africa), elephants, tigers and rhinos that owe their origins to the Asian continent but also...
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South East Asia comprises a small but distinct part of the Asian continent, plus a seemingly endless collection of large and small islands, some similar to one another, others dramatically different. The region and in particular the array of islands is biologically amongst the richest and most complex on earth.

It is home to iconic species like orang-utans (the only great apes outside Africa), elephants, tigers and rhinos that owe their origins to the Asian continent but also supports species that have affinities with the Australasian region. This is a consequence of the region lying at the convergence of two great tectonic plates that have effectively brought species into intimate juxtaposition that originated far apart: a phenomenon that was first explained by Alfred Russell Wallace.

The climate is predominantly equatorial and it supports the world's second largest rainforest (after the Amazon). However, there is much variation, particularly where mountains occur. Mount Kinabalu on Borneo at 4095m is the highest point between the Himalayas and Puncak Jaya in Western New Guinea and rises like a citadel from the surrounding lowlands. It is effectively a highland "island" and so supports an extraordinary diversity of unusual endemic species.
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