The Wallace Line

The Wallace Line is an imaginary boundary that separates two distinct ecological zones in Southeast Asia. It runs between Borneo and Sulawesi, and marks a division between species found in Asia and those found in Australia. Named after the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, this line highlights how geography influences biodiversity. To the west, you find Asian animals like tigers and orangutans; to the east, Australian wildlife like kangaroos and marsupials. This division illustrates how tectonic plate movements and historical land connections shaped the distribution of species across the region.