Malay Archipelago

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about other peoples, religions, or nationalities that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: ET 2026-07-22) INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO, or EASTERN ARCHI- PELAGO, the great group of islands situated to the S. E. of Asia, and washed on the W. by the Indian and E. by the Pacific Ocean; may roughly be said to lie between the meridians of 95° and 135° E., and the parallels of 11° S. and 17° N. Within these limits lie some of the largest and finest islands in the world, as Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Celebes, the Philippines, etc., but New Guinea is not ranked as belonging to the group. The chief of the smaller islands are the Moluccas or Spice Islands, Billiton, Banca, Madura, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Timor. The small islands may be truly called innumerable. The islands are generally fertile and covered with a luxuriant vegetation, and they produce all kinds of tropical products in abundance. Many of them contain volcanoes. As regards their fauna and flora, they may be divided into two main groups, those E. of the Strait of Macassar and the channel between Bali and Lombok having more affinities with Australia, while the others are rather Asiatic in character. The chief native race is the Malayan. A large portion of the archipelago is really or nominally under the sway of Holland, and this portion is frequently called the Dutch East Indies. MALAY PENINSULA. See STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.