Indonesia’s Muna Island

Why in the news?

• Recently, Indonesia’s Muna Island has attracted global attention. In the Liang Metanduno cave located on this island, scientists have discovered cave art that is about 67,800 years old, which is now considered the world’s oldest known cave art.
• This discovery is regarded as extremely important for understanding the cultural development, symbolic thinking, and artistic expression of early humans. According to researchers, this cave painting is a human hand stencil, which was created by spraying pigment on the cave wall.
• This discovery also indicates that Southeast Asia, especially the Indonesian island group, was a major region in early human migration and the development of civilization. This news is highly relevant for the history, human geography, and world geography sections of UPSC, State Public Service Commission, and other competitive examinations.

Muna Island

• Muna Island is located in the Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. This island is situated in the southeastern part of the Sulawesi Island.
• Muna Island is part of the Southeast Sulawesi Province and administratively falls under the Muna Regency.
• The island is mainly composed of limestone, due to which a large number of caves and karst topography are found here.
• This is the reason why evidence of ancient cave art is found in this region.
• Muna Island has a tropical maritime climate. High temperatures and adequate rainfall occur throughout the year.
• Tropical forests are found on the island, which support a wide variety of vegetation and wildlife.
• Muna Island is part of the Indonesian island arc system, which comes under the Pacific Ring of Fire.