Natural Geography of Coastal Swamp Lands in Insular Southeast Asia

Abstract

This review paper aims to describe the geographical features of coastal swamp lands in Insular Southeast Asia, mainly in the Indonesian Archipelago. The first of its three chapters is related to the recovery of the paleo-geography of the Sunda Sea. The eustatic submersion of the Sunda Land, which was proposed by Molengraaf and Weber, is considered to give the framework of the natural geography of the area. Modifying findings made more recently by radiocarbon dating and detailed boring studies are also reviewed.
 The second chapter describes the ecological features of the two main environments which predominate the area, namely, mangrove and peat swamp. The peculiar practices of the rice cultivation therein are also described as indicators of the specificity of the environment.
 The third chapter comprises case studies which, based on historical sources, try to indicate the growth and vicissitudes of the coastal lands in the historical period.