The equally large island of New Guinea occupies another quiescent area, on which no sign of volcanic action has yet been discovered.

With the exception of the eastern end of its northern peninsula, the large and curiously-shaped island of Celebes is also entirely free from volcanoes; and there is some reason to believe that the volcanic portion has once formed a separate island.

The Malay Peninsula is also non-volcanic.
The first and most obvious division of the Archipelago would therefore be into quiescent and volcanic regions, and it might, perhaps, be expected that such a division would correspond to some differences in the character of the vegetation and the forms of life.

This is the case, however, to a very limited extent; and we shall presently see that, although this development of subterranean fires is on so vast a scale--has piled up chains of mountains ten or twelve thousand feet high--has broken up continents and raised up islands from the ocean--yet it has all the character of a recent action which has not yet succeeded in obliterating the traces of a more ancient distribution of land and water.
Contrasts of Vegetation .-- Placed immediately upon the Equator and surrounded by extensive oceans, it is not surprising that the various islands of the Archipelago should be almost always clothed with a forest vegetation from the level of the sea to the summits of the loftiest mountains.

This is the general rule.