Wallacea is the biogeographic transition zone of islands between the Asian and Australian continental shelves, comprising most of Indonesia's central islands, including Sulawesi, the Moluccas and the Lesser Sunda Islands, along with East Timor. Named for the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who first identified the deep-water strait separating Asian and Australian fauna running through the region, Wallacea holds a distinctive mix of species found on neither continent, the product of millions of years of isolation on islands that, unlike Borneo or New Guinea, were never joined to either landmass by a land bridge.
Facts
Classification
Region TypePhysiographic or Climatic Region 1 Region TypePhysiographic or Climatic Region 1 Area (sq km) Sources
1. Wallacea (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroductionQuote, Introduction
Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves.
2. Wallacea (Wikipedia)
Opening paragraph, last sentenceQuote, Opening paragraph, last sentence
total land area of Wallacea is 347,000 km2
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