Introduction The caves of Peninsular Malaysia hold no records in terms of length or depth, unlike those in East Malaysia. The caves in Mulu National Park in Sarawak are large and long, and include record holders like Clearwater Cave, the longest in Southeast Asia, and 10th longest in the world at 151 km (2007). Sarawak Chamber in Gua Nasib Bagus is the world’s largest underground chamber. Api Chamber in White Rock Cave, Gunung Benarat may be the world's 8th largest underground void (Descent 189, 2006). In contrast, the longest cave in Peninsula Malaysia is a mere 4.8 km. However these are all mere babies compared to the world’s longest, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, USA, which is 579 km.
The longest cave in the Indian subcontinent is Krem Liat Prah/Um Im/Labbit in Meghalaya, India, 30.957 km (March 2008).
The world’s deepest cave is in Georgia (USSR), and is 2190m deep (Aug 2007). Malaysia’s deepest cave, Gua Kulit Siput (Sarawak) is 465m.
Gunung Api in Mulu, at 5750 ft, is the highest limestone mountain between north Thailand and New Guinea. |
Longest caves of south east Asia | CAVE | PLACE | km | SOURCE | | 1 | Gua Air Jernih | Malaysia | 151 | BCRA exp 2007 | | 2 | Cobweb System | Malaysia | 50.5 | BCRA 1.07 | | 3 | Phong Nha | Vietnam | 44.5 | NSS 12.05 | | 4 | Terikan system | Malaysia | 32.57 | BCRA 2005 | | 5 | Tham Nam Non | Laos | 25 ~ | Mouret 2007 | | 6 | Salukkan Kallang –Tanette | Indonesia | 25 ~ | Deharveng, Ko | | 7 | Green Cathedral system | Malaysia | 26.97 | Gulden 12.05 | | 8 | St Paul’s Cave | Philippines | 21.0 | IC 13 | | 9 | Hang Khe Ry | Vietnam | 18.9 | IC 25 1999 | | 10 | Luweng Jaran system | Indonesia | 18.0 | IC 1992 | | 11 | Benarat-Moon system | Malaysia | 16.43 | BCRA 2005 | | 12 | Cobra-Cloud/Bridge Cave | Malaysia | 16.124 | BCRA 2005 | | 13 | Hang Vom | Vietnam | 15.05 | IC 25 | | 14 | Tham Phra Wang Daeng | Thailand | 13.634 | D.Smart 2000 | | 15 | Tham Mae Lana | Thailand | 12.60 | Canberra SS 1986 | | 16 | Nam Hinboun | Laos | 12.40 | IC 25 1999 |
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Longest caves of Peninsular Malaysia | CAVE | STATE | length m | SURVEY DATE | | 1 | Gua Tempurung | Perak | 4800 | 1995/7 | | 2 | Gua Kelam 2 | Perlis | 3748 | 1992/96 | | 3 | Gua Baba / Lo Po Sang | Perlis | 2900 | 1999 | | 4 | Dark Cave | Selangor | 2000+ | | | 5 | Foh Thye Wang Ulu | Perlis | 2117 | 1996 | | 6 | Gua Puncak Lanno | Perak | 1584 | 2001 | | 7 | Gua Selari | Perak | 1309 | 2001 | | 8 | Gua Kandu | Perak | 1100 | 2001 | | 9 | Gua Anak Tempurung | Perak | 1100 | 2001 | | 10 | Gua Selatan | Pahang | 1070 ~ | 1990 | | 11 | Gua Lanno | Perak | 985 | 1999, 2001 | | 12 | Kong Fook Ngam | Perak | 792 | 2001 |
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