Papua
Encyclopedia
Papua was the name, as provided to the Portuguese commander Jorge de Meneses while sheltering there in 1526, of the people living on Waigeo
, one of the Raja Ampat Islands
west of the Vogelkop Peninsula, now part of the West Papua province of Indonesia. The Spanish pilot Martin de Uriarte in the same year and Andrés de Urdaneta
two years later named these islands "Islas de Papuas". Until the 18th century, "the Papuas" exclusively referred to the Raja Ampat Islands and later the Vogelkop peninsula, while the rest of the large island was known solely as New Guinea
since 1545. Over time, anthropologists, linguists and others started to use the term Papuan for the cultures, languages, and people of all of New Guinea. It has been proposed that "Papua" finds its origin in the Biak
phrase sup i papwa, meaning "the land below the sunset", used by the people of Biak
to indicate Waigeo, though the term could also simply be a proper name from Raja Ampat itself.
Papua may now refer to:
Common to the whole of the world's second-largest island, the Island of New Guinea:
In relation to the modern country of Papua New Guinea
:
In relation to Indonesia:
Other:
Waigeo
Waigeo is an island in West Papua province of eastern Indonesia. The island is also known as Amberi, or Waigiu. It is the largest of the four main islands in the Raja Ampat Islands archipelago, between Halmahera and about 65 km to the northwest coast of New Guinea...
, one of the Raja Ampat Islands
Raja Ampat Islands
Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo,...
west of the Vogelkop Peninsula, now part of the West Papua province of Indonesia. The Spanish pilot Martin de Uriarte in the same year and Andrés de Urdaneta
Andrés de Urdaneta
Friar Andrés de Urdaneta, O.S.A., was a circumnavigator, explorer and Augustinian friar. As a navigator he achieved in 1536 the "second" world circumnavigation after first one led by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano in 1522...
two years later named these islands "Islas de Papuas". Until the 18th century, "the Papuas" exclusively referred to the Raja Ampat Islands and later the Vogelkop peninsula, while the rest of the large island was known solely as New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
since 1545. Over time, anthropologists, linguists and others started to use the term Papuan for the cultures, languages, and people of all of New Guinea. It has been proposed that "Papua" finds its origin in the Biak
Biak language
Biak is an Austronesian language which has been classified as one of 41 languages of the South Halmahera-West New Guinea subgroup of Eastern Malayo-Polynesian...
phrase sup i papwa, meaning "the land below the sunset", used by the people of Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
to indicate Waigeo, though the term could also simply be a proper name from Raja Ampat itself.
Papua may now refer to:
Common to the whole of the world's second-largest island, the Island of New Guinea:
- Papuan languagesPapuan languagesThe Papuan languages are those languages of the western Pacific which are neither Austronesian nor Australian. The term does not presuppose a genetic relationship. The concept of Papuan peoples as distinct from Melanesians was first suggested and named by Sidney Herbert Ray in 1892.-The...
- Papuan peoplesPapuan peoplesPapuan is a cover term for the various indigenous peoples of New Guinea and neighboring islands, speakers of so-called Papuan languages. They are often distinguished linguistically from Austronesians, speakers of a language family introduced into New Guinea about three thousand years ago, but this...
who are indigenous to New Guinea and all the Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
In relation to the modern country of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
:
- Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, independent country since 1975; the large western part (extending to IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
's provinces on the other half of the island) was claimed by Germany in 1884 (German New GuineaGerman New GuineaGerman New Guinea was the first part of the German colonial empire. It was a protectorate from 1884 until 1914 when it fell to Australia following the outbreak of the First World War. It consisted of the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups...
), the much smaller Papua peninsula by the British crown in response (British New Guinea). After WW-I, both territories were administered separately by Australia, then joined administratively in 1949.- Papua RegionPapua RegionPapua Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea. The region includes the national capital Port Moresby.-Subdivision:The Region is administratively divided into six provinces:* Central Province* Gulf Province* Milne Bay Province...
, one of four regions in the country of Papua New Guinea
- Papua Region
- the Papua peninsula, which extends easterly from LaeLaeLae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
to the headlands of Milne BayMilne BayMilne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
at the juncture of the Solomon SeaSolomon SeaThe Solomon Sea is a sea located within the Pacific Ocean. It lies between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Many major battles were fought there during World War II.-Extent:...
and the Coral SeaCoral SeaThe Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
. The peninsula corresponds to the 1884 claim by the British crown of lands on New Guinea, with the settlement at Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
, now the capital of the nation state: - Territory of Papua, Australian-administered territory in southeastern New Guinea 1884–1949
- Territory of Papua and New GuineaTerritory of Papua and New GuineaThe Territory of Papua and New Guinea was established by an administrative union between the Australian-administered territories of Papua and New Guinea in 1949...
, 1949-1975, predecessor administrative union between the two Australian-administered territories of 'Papua' and 'New Guinea' in 1949.
In relation to Indonesia:
- West Papua (region), the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea
- Papua (province), the larger of two Indonesian provinces making up the western half of New Guinea
- West Papua (province), the smaller of two Indonesian provinces making up the western half of New Guinea
Other:
- Papua IslandPapua IslandPapua Island is a small circular island lying 4 nautical miles west of Boreal Point, off the north coast of Joinville Island. The name was applied by the Argentine Antarctic Expedition because large numbers of gentoo penguins were sighted on this island....
, located off the north coast of Joinville Island, Antarctica and named after the Gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua