7 Amazing Facts About the Borneo Forest to Tell Your Kids

The Borneo forest isn't just the backdrop for Kiko and Boni's story — it's one of the most amazing places on Earth. Here are fun facts you can share with your child while reading together.

1. One of the world's oldest rainforests

Borneo's rainforest is estimated to be around 130 million years old — older than the Amazon! That means dinosaurs once walked among the ancestors of trees still standing today.

2. Home to orangutans

Bornean orangutans live only on the island of Kalimantan, nowhere else in the world. The word "orangutan" itself comes from Malay: orang (person) and hutan (forest) — "person of the forest". They share about 97% of their DNA with humans.

3. The hornbill, the forest's guardian

The hornbill, with its large, magnificent beak, is a "forest farmer" — spreading fruit seeds across the forest and helping new trees grow.

4. Home to the world's largest flower

Rafflesia arnoldii, the world's largest flower — up to 1 meter wide — grows in the forests of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Remarkably, it has no leaves, stem, or roots of its own!

5. Thousands of species in a single tree

One big tree in the Borneo forest can be home to hundreds of kinds of insects, birds, fungi, and other plants. Each tree is a giant "apartment" for forest creatures.

6. Rivers are the forest's highways

Deep in Kalimantan, rivers like the Kapuas (Indonesia's longest river at 1,143 km!) are the main transport routes — just like the ones Kiko and Boni travel in their adventure.

7. This forest needs little guardians

The Borneo forest shrinks a little more every year. Introducing children to its beauty early is the first step toward raising a generation that cares — because we only protect what we love.

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Take your little one to explore the Borneo forest with Kiko & Boni in the bilingual EKOPLOERS™ Book 1 — available on Amazon.