Barbirusa - Indonesia

The corpse flower is the world’s largest flower. It can measure up to 105 centimeters across and weighing up to 7 kilos. It is a rare specimen endemic to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and is referred to locally as “bunga patma.” For the purpose of pollination, the flower emits a strong odor of rotting flesh to attract insects.

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Babyrousa celebensis - Barbirusas are members of the pig family. Of the three species, the Sulawesi barbirusa is the largest. The name stems from the Indonesian term for “pig-deer.” The males are known for their tusks, extensions of the lower and upper canines. The lower canines grow out and over the upper lip and the upper canines penetrate the snout, curling backwards towards the animal’s skull. Severe habitat loss and poaching have threatened the three species of barbirusa with possible extinction; they are protected by law.

Orangutan - Indonesia

Pongo pygmaeus - About 400,000 years ago, a split occurred within the sole species of orangutan resulting in the current three species and three sub-species within Pongo pygmaeus. The Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli orangutans are the exclusive primates native to Asia. The Bornean orangutan is endemic to the island of Borneo, an island shared by Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. The three species of orangutan are facing extinction resulting from habitat loss and the bushmeat trade.

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In terms of flora and fauna diversity, Indonesia ranks second in the world; Brazil is first. Indonesia contains some of the rarest plant and animal life on earth; Rafflesia arnoldii and Varanus komodoensis, the Komodo dragon. The country contains more than 17,000 islands, Sumatra being the largest at 473,000 square kilometers. Over 300 ethnic groups, speaking 700 indigenous languages, combine to make Indonesia the world’s 15th and 4th largest country in area and population respectively.

Cities in Oceania

Honiara began as a small development in the vicinity of Henderson Field, a landing strip partially constructed by Japanese forces. The struggle for control of Henderson Field became the focal point in the Battle of Guadalcanal, a battle lasting from August 1942 until February 1943. The Allied forces prevailed and the air field was completed; it now serves as the main airport for the Solomon Islands.

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Jakarta was established as a trading center for the Sunda Kingdom, a state existing from 669 to 1579. In 1619, the city began serving as the administrative headquarters for the Dutch East Indies Company; the Dutch had renamed the city “Batavia.” Jakarta survived Dutch colonial rule, Japanese occupation, and a war of liberation to become, with over 30 million people, one of the world’s most populated metropolitan areas.

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Manila has been associated with several Asian kingdoms, but its longest foreign relationship was with Spain. The Spanish, under the leadership of Ferdinand Magellan, arrived in 1521. Although the first European encounter resulted in Magellan’s death, Spain succeeded in establishing a successful colony in the Philippines; Manila became one of the leading cities in Spain’s colonial empire.