Suitability and Density of Oil Palm Cultivation in Southeast Asia
Since the beginning of the 20th century, oil palm has been cultivated on a large scale and commercially produced in plantations around the world[1]. The total cultivation area for oil palms with closed canopies is estimated at 21 million hectares (MHa) worldwide, of which 18.7 MHa are located in Southeast Asia - 12 MHa in Indonesia alone[2]. Exports from Indonesia and Malaysia account more than 85% of the global palm oil production[3].
Task 1: Based on your pre-knowledge, briefly explain what makes Southeast Asia and especially Indonesia so suitable for oil palm cultivation.Task 2: Based on your pre-knowledge, mark where in Indonesia (Southeast Asia) large areas of oil palm plantations are located on the map. You can click on the map to mark the area.
Figure 2: Map of Southeast Asia [4].
