Comments by "Casual Earth" (@casualearth9076) on "RealLifeLore" channel.

  1. (1) Throughout the tropics, dense human settlement tends to favor seasonally dry climates over true tropical rainforest. It's easier to clear land for cultivation, disease is reduced, and the decay of food and wood is reduced. Southern Indonesia, including Java, is drier than the rest of the country. (2) Sumatra and Java have more recent volcanism than the rest of the country, in general. This means the soil has not been leached of water soluble minerals by the tropical climate to the same extent that the other islands have, so the soil is far richer. So Java has the right climate (monsoonal, not always wet) and soil (recent volcanic) for ideal farmland in the tropics.
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