Papua (Indonesian province)
Encyclopedia
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea
and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura
. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia
. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea
. In 2003, the Indonesian government declared the westernmost part of the island, around Bird's Head Peninsula
, a separate province; its name was first West Irian Jaya and is now West Papua.
During the Dutch colonial era the region was known as part of "Dutch New Guinea" or "Netherlands New Guinea
". Since its annexation in 1969, it became known as "West Irian" or "Irian Barat" until 1973, and thereafter renamed "Irian Jaya" (roughly translated, "Glorious Irian") by the Suharto administration. This was the official name until the name "Papua" was adopted in 2002. Today, natives of this province prefer to call themselves Papuans.
The name "West Papua" was adopted in 1961 by the New Guinea Council
until the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) transferred administration to the Republic of Indonesia in 1963. "West Papua" has since been used by Papuans as a self-identifying term, especially by those demanding self-determination, and usually refers to the whole of the Indonesian portion of New Guinea. The other Indonesian province that shares New Guinea, West Irian Jaya, has been officially renamed as "West Papua".
Within Indonesia and West Papua itself, 'Papua' usually refers to the entire western half of New Guinea despite its division into separate provinces. Western New Guinea is generally referred to as 'West Papua' internationally – especially among networks of international solidarity with the West Papuan independence movement.
) and a regional legislature, DPRP (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Papua). A government organisation that only exists in Papua is the MRP (Majelis Rakyat Papua / Papuan People's Council), which was formed by the Indonesian Government in 2005 as a coalition of Papuan tribal chiefs, tasked with arbitration and speaking on behalf of Papuan tribal customs.
Indonesian governance of Papua is recognised by the United Nations
and practically all members of the international community. As in the other provinces of Indonesia, the central government in Jakarta has a strong influence in the Papua. Papua was a major beneficiary of a nation-wide decentralisation process started in 1999 and the Special Autonomy status introduced in 2002. Measures included the formation of the MRP and redistribution of resource revenues.
In 1999 it was proposed to split the province into three government-controlled sectors, sparking Papuan protests. In January 2003 President Megawati Sukarnoputri
signed an order dividing Papua into three provinces: Central Irian Jaya (Irian Jaya Tengah), Papua (or East Irian Jaya, Irian Jaya Timur), and West Papua (Irian Jaya Barat). The formality of installing a local government for Jaraka in Irian Jaya Barat (West) took place in February 2003 and a governor was appointed in November; a government for Irian Jaya Tengah (central) was delayed from August 2003 due to violent local protests. The creation of this separate central province was blocked by Indonesian courts, who declared it to be unconstitutional and in contravention of the Papua's special autonomy agreement. The previous division into two provinces was allowed to stand as an established fact.
In January 2006, 43 Papuan asylum seekers landed on the coast of Australia and stated that the Indonesian military is carrying out a genocide in Papua. They were transported to an Australian immigration detention facility on Christmas Island
, 360 km (224 mi) south of the western end of Java. On 23 March 2006, the Australian government granted temporary visas to 42 of the 43 asylum seekers (the 43rd, who had a Japanese visa at the time of his arrival, received an Australian visa in early August 2006). The asylum seekers were granted visas on the basis of "well founded fear of persecution." Later, several of these refugees returned to Indonesia, saying they were "disillusioned" with the group. On 24 March 2006 Indonesia recalled its ambassador to Australia in protest at the granting of the visas .
The regencies ("kabupaten") are: Asmat
; Biak
-Numfor; Boven Digoel
; Deiyai
; Dogiyai
; Intan Jaya
; Jayapura
; Jayawijaya
; Keerom
; Kepulauan Yapen; Lanny Jaya
; Mamberamo Raya
; Central Mamberamo; Mappi
; Merauke
; Mimika
; Nabire
; Nduga
; Paniai
; Pegunungan Bintang
; Puncak
; Puncak Jaya
; Sarmi
; Supiori
; Tolikara
; Waropen
; Yahukimo
; and Yalimo
. The city of Jayapura
also has the status of a regency.
Jayapura
, founded on 7 March 1910 as Hollandia is the capital. Since Indonesian administration the name of the city has been changed to Kotabaru, then to Sukarnopura before its current name, Jayapura. Jayapura is also the largest city, with a small but active tourism industry, it is built on a slope overlooking the bay. Cenderawasih University
(UNCEN) campus at Abepura houses the University Museum
. Both Tanjung Ria beach, near the market at Hamadi – site of the 22 April 1944 Allied invasion during World War II
– and the site of General Douglas MacArthur's
World War II headquarters at Ifar Gunung have monuments commemorating the events.
and the Andes
, rising up to 4884 m high, and ensuring a steady supply of rain from the tropical atmosphere. The tree line is around 4000 m elevation
and the tallest peaks contain permanent equatorial glaciers, increasingly melting due to a changing climate
. Various other smaller mountain ranges occur both north and west of the central ranges. Except in high elevations, most areas possess a hot humid climate throughout the year, with some seasonal variation associated with the northeast monsoon season.
The third major habitat feature are the vast southern and northern lowlands. Stretching for hundreds of kilometers, these include lowland rainforests, extensive wetland
s, savanna
grasslands, and some of the largest expanses of mangrove
forest in the world. The southern lowlands are the site of Lorentz National Park
, also a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
.
The province's largest river is the Mamberamo, sometimes called the "Amazon
of Papua", which winds through the northern part of the province. The result is a large area of lakes and rivers known as the Lakes Plains region. The famous Baliem Valley
, home of the Dani people is a tableland 1600 m above sea level in the midst of the central mountain range; Puncak Jaya
, sometimes known by its former Dutch name Carstensz Pyramid, is a mist covered limestone
mountain peak 4884 m above sea level. It is the highest peak of Oceania
.
The Yei pronounced Yay are sometimes known as the Jei, Je, Yei-nan people.
There are approximately 2,500 speakers of the Yei language. 40% Ethno Religionists- animistic tribal religion 60% Catholics and Christians (blended with animistic beliefs & customs)
The Yei language is believed to have 2 dialects observed by a Wycliffe, SIL language survey in 2001. At home the Yei people speak their own language but use Indonesian for trade, wider communication and at school. Most Yei are literate in Indonesian. The Yei people have no Bible translation, gospel films or videos in their language.
There are elementary schools in each village. About 10-30% of children continue in middle school. Very few go to high school. The nearest high school is in Merauke
city.
They live primarily by hunting, fishing, and gardening short and long term crops in the lowlands. The Yei diet mainly consists of rice, vegetables, fish and roasted sago.
With their land at an altitude of less than 100 meters above sea level, the Yei people can best be accessed by vehicle on the road from Merauke or by motorized canoe up the Maro River
. There is no airstrip or airplane access other than float plane which is currently available from Merauke through MAF by about a 15 minute flight to Toray.
The Poo and Bupul villages have a clinic but people still use traditional medicines.
There is very little infrastructure in the area: no telephones or toilets. At night electricity is run from a generator. There are (SSB’s) Single side-band radios in Bupul, Tanas, Poo, and Erambu villages, mainly used by the police and military force. Most villages get their drinking water from the Maro River, but some get it from wells or by collecting rain.
According to the 2000 census, 78% of the Papuans identified themselves as Christian with 54% being Protestant and 24% being Roman Catholic. 21% of the population was Muslim and less than 1% were Buddhist or Hindu. There is also substantial practice of animism
by Papuans.
The densest population center, other than the large coastal cities that house Indonesian bureaucratic and commercial apparatus, is located in and around the town of Wamena in the Palim (a.k.a. Baliem) Valley of the Central Highlands. The 'extreme democracy' and ecological stewardship of the highlands Papuan society is documented by Jared Diamond
in the book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
s, wallabies
, tree-kangaroo
s, cuscus
es), other mammals (including the endangered Long-beaked Echidna
), many bird species (including birds of paradise, cassowaries
, parrot
s, cockatoo
s), the world's longest lizards (Papua monitor
) and the world's largest butterflies.
The island has an estimated 16,000 species of plant, 124 genera of which are endemic.
The extensive waterways and wetlands of Papua are also home to salt and freshwater crocodile
, tree monitors, flying foxes
, osprey
, bat
s and other animals; while the equatorial glacier fields remain largely unexplored.
In February 2006, a team of scientists exploring the Foja Mountains
, Sarmi
, discovered numerous new species of birds, butterflies, amphibians, and plants, including possibly the largest-flowered species of rhododendron
.
Protected areas within Papua province include the Lorentz National Park
, which is also a World Heritage site and the Wasur National Park
, a RAMSAR
wetland of international importance.
Ecological threats include logging-induced deforestation
, forest conversion for plantation agriculture (especially oil palm
), smallholder agricultural conversion, the introduction and potential spread of alien species such as the Crab-eating Macaque
which preys on and competes with indigenous species, the illegal species trade, and water pollution from oil and mining operations.
Papua's ancient rain forests have recently come under an even greater threat of deforestation after the Chinese government placed an order of 1 billion US dollar or 800,000 cubic meters of the threatened merbau rainforest timbers, used in buildings for the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
In remote forested valleys, several thousand smallholder farmers are growing Arabica coffee in the shade of Calliandra
, Erythrina
and Albizia
trees. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not available in these valleys. Since there are no roads, the coffee is flown out and then exported from the port of Jayapura.
. With themed 'Loved, Peace, and Harmony,' tourists first see Lake Sentani Festival and then visit villages such as Tablanusu, Bukisi, and Amay Beach before proceeding to Wamena
. In 2011, the Lake Sentani Festival was the fourth event since 2008.
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...
and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia
Provinces of Indonesia
The province is the highest tier of local government subnational entity in Indonesia. Each province has its own local government, headed by a governor, and has its own legislative body...
. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea
Western New Guinea
West Papua informally refers to the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and other smaller islands to its west. The region is officially administered as two provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half of New Guinea is Papua New Guinea.The population of approximately 3 million...
. In 2003, the Indonesian government declared the westernmost part of the island, around Bird's Head Peninsula
Bird's Head Peninsula
The Bird's Head Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the Province of West Papua, Indonesia.-Location and geography:...
, a separate province; its name was first West Irian Jaya and is now West Papua.
Naming
"Papua" is the official Indonesian and internationally recognised name for the province.During the Dutch colonial era the region was known as part of "Dutch New Guinea" or "Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
". Since its annexation in 1969, it became known as "West Irian" or "Irian Barat" until 1973, and thereafter renamed "Irian Jaya" (roughly translated, "Glorious Irian") by the Suharto administration. This was the official name until the name "Papua" was adopted in 2002. Today, natives of this province prefer to call themselves Papuans.
The name "West Papua" was adopted in 1961 by the New Guinea Council
New Guinea Council
The New Guinea Council was a unicameral representative body formed in the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961. The council was inaugurated on 5 April 1961 with 28 council members, 16 of whom had been elected in elections held during January 1961....
until the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) transferred administration to the Republic of Indonesia in 1963. "West Papua" has since been used by Papuans as a self-identifying term, especially by those demanding self-determination, and usually refers to the whole of the Indonesian portion of New Guinea. The other Indonesian province that shares New Guinea, West Irian Jaya, has been officially renamed as "West Papua".
Within Indonesia and West Papua itself, 'Papua' usually refers to the entire western half of New Guinea despite its division into separate provinces. Western New Guinea is generally referred to as 'West Papua' internationally – especially among networks of international solidarity with the West Papuan independence movement.
Government
The province of Papua is governed by a directly elected governor (currently Barnabas SuebuBarnabas Suebu
Barnabas Suebu , also known as Bas Suebu is the Governor of the Indonesian province Papua. He wants to protect the province's forests, and has made plans to declare a moratorium on log exports and recommended that no new logging concessions be granted to timber companies...
) and a regional legislature, DPRP (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Papua). A government organisation that only exists in Papua is the MRP (Majelis Rakyat Papua / Papuan People's Council), which was formed by the Indonesian Government in 2005 as a coalition of Papuan tribal chiefs, tasked with arbitration and speaking on behalf of Papuan tribal customs.
Indonesian governance of Papua is recognised by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and practically all members of the international community. As in the other provinces of Indonesia, the central government in Jakarta has a strong influence in the Papua. Papua was a major beneficiary of a nation-wide decentralisation process started in 1999 and the Special Autonomy status introduced in 2002. Measures included the formation of the MRP and redistribution of resource revenues.
In 1999 it was proposed to split the province into three government-controlled sectors, sparking Papuan protests. In January 2003 President Megawati Sukarnoputri
Megawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
signed an order dividing Papua into three provinces: Central Irian Jaya (Irian Jaya Tengah), Papua (or East Irian Jaya, Irian Jaya Timur), and West Papua (Irian Jaya Barat). The formality of installing a local government for Jaraka in Irian Jaya Barat (West) took place in February 2003 and a governor was appointed in November; a government for Irian Jaya Tengah (central) was delayed from August 2003 due to violent local protests. The creation of this separate central province was blocked by Indonesian courts, who declared it to be unconstitutional and in contravention of the Papua's special autonomy agreement. The previous division into two provinces was allowed to stand as an established fact.
In January 2006, 43 Papuan asylum seekers landed on the coast of Australia and stated that the Indonesian military is carrying out a genocide in Papua. They were transported to an Australian immigration detention facility on Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
, 360 km (224 mi) south of the western end of Java. On 23 March 2006, the Australian government granted temporary visas to 42 of the 43 asylum seekers (the 43rd, who had a Japanese visa at the time of his arrival, received an Australian visa in early August 2006). The asylum seekers were granted visas on the basis of "well founded fear of persecution." Later, several of these refugees returned to Indonesia, saying they were "disillusioned" with the group. On 24 March 2006 Indonesia recalled its ambassador to Australia in protest at the granting of the visas .
Regions
As of 2005, Papua province consisted of 28 regencies (kabupaten), 1 city (kotamadya), 117 subdistricts (kecamatan), 66 kelurahan, and 830 villages (desa).The regencies ("kabupaten") are: Asmat
Asmat Regency
Asmat Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia. The capital of the regency is Agats. Asmat Regency consists of an area approximately 29,658 km² with between 59,000 and 70,000 inhabitants, most from the Asmat ethnic group. The regency is divided into seven subdistricts...
; 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...
-Numfor; Boven Digoel
Boven Digoel Regency
Boven Digoel Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia. The Capital is Tanahmerah. The total population of the regency is 43,840....
; Deiyai
Deiyai Regency
Deiyai Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Dogiyai
Dogiyai Regency
Dogiyai Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Intan Jaya
Intan Jaya Regency
Intan Jaya Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Jayapura
Jayapura Regency
Jayapura Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Jayawijaya
Jayawijaya Regency
Jayawijaya Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia. Its capital is Wamena....
; Keerom
Keerom Regency
Keerom Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Kepulauan Yapen; Lanny Jaya
Lanny Jaya Regency
Lanny Jaya Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Mamberamo Raya
Mamberamo Raya Regency
Mamberamo Raya Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia, created on 15 March 2007....
; Central Mamberamo; Mappi
Mappi Regency
Mappi Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Merauke
Merauke Regency
Merauke is a regency in Papua Province, Indonesia.It includes the following districts:* Distrik Ulilin* Eligobel* Jagebob* Kimaam* Kurik* Merauke* Muting* Okaba* Semangga* Sota* Tanah Miring...
; Mimika
Mimika Regency
Mimika Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia. Its capital is Timika....
; Nabire
Nabire Regency
Nabire Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Nduga
Nduga Regency
Nduga Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Paniai
Paniai Regency
Paniai Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Pegunungan Bintang
Bintang Mountain Regency
Bintang Mountain Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Puncak
Puncak Regency
Puncak Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Puncak Jaya
Puncak Jaya Regency
Puncak Jaya Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia. It is an inland highland regency, lying directly east of Paniai Regency and west of Jayawijaya Regency...
; Sarmi
Sarmi Regency
Sarmi Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Supiori
Supiori Regency
Supiori Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; Tolikara
Tolikara Regency
Tolikara Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia.-Events:The VI Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad took place in Tolikara in November-December 2010....
; Waropen
Waropen Regency
Waropen Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia. The capital is Botawa...
; Yahukimo
Yahukimo Regency
Yahukimo Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
; and Yalimo
Yalimo Regency
Yalimo Regency is one of the regencies in Papua province, Indonesia....
. The city of Jayapura
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
also has the status of a regency.
Jayapura
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, founded on 7 March 1910 as Hollandia is the capital. Since Indonesian administration the name of the city has been changed to Kotabaru, then to Sukarnopura before its current name, Jayapura. Jayapura is also the largest city, with a small but active tourism industry, it is built on a slope overlooking the bay. Cenderawasih University
Cenderawasih University
Universitas Cenderawasih is a university in Jayapura, in the province Papua, Indonesia. The university is the leading educational institution in the province....
(UNCEN) campus at Abepura houses the University Museum
University Museum
University Museum is a historic building that houses several museums on the campus of Harvard University on 11-25 Divinity Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The building houses both the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.The structure was built...
. Both Tanjung Ria beach, near the market at Hamadi – site of the 22 April 1944 Allied invasion during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
– and the site of General Douglas MacArthur's
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
World War II headquarters at Ifar Gunung have monuments commemorating the events.
Geography
A central east-west mountain range dominates the geography of the island of New Guinea, over 1600 km (994 mi) in total length. The western section is around 600 km (373 mi) long and 100 km (62 mi) across. The province contains the highest mountains between the HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, rising up to 4884 m high, and ensuring a steady supply of rain from the tropical atmosphere. The tree line is around 4000 m elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
and the tallest peaks contain permanent equatorial glaciers, increasingly melting due to a changing climate
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. Various other smaller mountain ranges occur both north and west of the central ranges. Except in high elevations, most areas possess a hot humid climate throughout the year, with some seasonal variation associated with the northeast monsoon season.
The third major habitat feature are the vast southern and northern lowlands. Stretching for hundreds of kilometers, these include lowland rainforests, extensive wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
grasslands, and some of the largest expanses of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forest in the world. The southern lowlands are the site of Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park is located in the Indonesian province of Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya . With an area of 25,056 km² , it is the largest national park in South-East Asia...
, also a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
The province's largest river is the Mamberamo, sometimes called the "Amazon
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
of Papua", which winds through the northern part of the province. The result is a large area of lakes and rivers known as the Lakes Plains region. The famous Baliem Valley
Baliem Valley
The Baliem Valley, also spelled Balim Valley and sometimes known as the Grand Valley, of the highlands of Western New Guinea, is occupied by the Dani people. The main town in the valley is Wamena...
, home of the Dani people is a tableland 1600 m above sea level in the midst of the central mountain range; Puncak Jaya
Puncak Jaya
Puncak Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid is the highest summit of Mount Carstensz in the Sudirman Range of the western central highlands of Papua province, Indonesia . Other summits are East Carstensz Peak and Ngga Pulu...
, sometimes known by its former Dutch name Carstensz Pyramid, is a mist covered limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
mountain peak 4884 m above sea level. It is the highest peak of Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
.
Ethnic groups
The following are some of the most well-known ethnic groups of Papua:- AmungmeAmungmeThe Amungme are a group of about 13,000 people living in the highlands of the Papua province of Indonesia. Their language is called Damal.They practice shifting agriculture, supplementing their livelihood by hunting and gathering...
- AsmatAsmat peopleThe Asmat are an ethnic group of New Guinea, residing in the Papua province of Indonesia. Possessing one of the most well-known and vibrant woodcarving traditions in the Pacific, their art is sought by collectors worldwide...
- BauziBauziThe Bauzi tribe consists of a group of 1500 people living in the north-central part of the Indonesian province of Papua The Bauzi tribe consists of a group of 1500 people living in the north-central part of the Indonesian province of Papua The Bauzi tribe consists of a group of 1500 people living...
- DaniDani PeopleThe Dani people, also spelled Ndani, and sometimes conflated with the Lani group to the west, are a people from the central highlands of western New Guinea ....
- KamoroKamoro-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
- KombaiKombai peopleThe Kombai are a Papuan people of Melanesia living in the Indonesian province of Papua in Western New Guinea.-Way of Life:The Kombai have become prominent to the outside world primarily because of their traditional tree house dwellings, which often reach heights of over 20 meters...
- KorowaiKorowaiThe korowai, also called the Kolufo, are a people of southeastern Papua . They number about 3,000. Until 1970, they were unaware of the existence of any people besides themselves....
- MeeMee (tribe)The Mee are a people who inhabit West Papua on the Island of New Guinea. They speak the Ekagi language.-External links:...
- Sentani
- YaliYali (people)Yali are major tribal group in Papua, Indonesia, and live to the east of the Baliem Valley in the Papuan highlands. Their major towns are Angguruk and Kosarek, and which are isolated by challenging geography. The major access to their territory is by air...
- Yei
The Yei pronounced Yay are sometimes known as the Jei, Je, Yei-nan people.
There are approximately 2,500 speakers of the Yei language. 40% Ethno Religionists- animistic tribal religion 60% Catholics and Christians (blended with animistic beliefs & customs)
The Yei language is believed to have 2 dialects observed by a Wycliffe, SIL language survey in 2001. At home the Yei people speak their own language but use Indonesian for trade, wider communication and at school. Most Yei are literate in Indonesian. The Yei people have no Bible translation, gospel films or videos in their language.
There are elementary schools in each village. About 10-30% of children continue in middle school. Very few go to high school. The nearest high school is in Merauke
Merauke
Merauke is a town considered to be one of the easternmost towns in Indonesia, located in Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia. It is next to Maro River.In 2006 it had a population of 71,838....
city.
They live primarily by hunting, fishing, and gardening short and long term crops in the lowlands. The Yei diet mainly consists of rice, vegetables, fish and roasted sago.
With their land at an altitude of less than 100 meters above sea level, the Yei people can best be accessed by vehicle on the road from Merauke or by motorized canoe up the Maro River
Maro River
Maro River flows in Merauke Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia. The Maro flows from north-east to south-west, into the Arafura Sea. The river is strongly tidal for most of its length and its lower reaches are affected by salt water. Associated with the river is a complex system of swamps and oxbow...
. There is no airstrip or airplane access other than float plane which is currently available from Merauke through MAF by about a 15 minute flight to Toray.
The Poo and Bupul villages have a clinic but people still use traditional medicines.
There is very little infrastructure in the area: no telephones or toilets. At night electricity is run from a generator. There are (SSB’s) Single side-band radios in Bupul, Tanas, Poo, and Erambu villages, mainly used by the police and military force. Most villages get their drinking water from the Maro River, but some get it from wells or by collecting rain.
Demographics
The population of Papua province has been growing fast (2.9 children per woman fertility rate), from 1.9 million in the 2000 Indonesia Census to 2.9 million in the 2010 Census Since the early 1990s Papua has had the highest population growth rate of all Indonesian provinces at over 3% annually. This is partly a result of high birth rates, but mainly due to migration from other parts of Indonesia. While indigenous Papuans formed the near-totality of the population in 1961, they are now roughly 50% of the population, the other half being composed of non-Papuan migrants coming from other parts of Indonesia. An overwhelming percentage of these migrants came as part of a government-sponsored transmigration program.According to the 2000 census, 78% of the Papuans identified themselves as Christian with 54% being Protestant and 24% being Roman Catholic. 21% of the population was Muslim and less than 1% were Buddhist or Hindu. There is also substantial practice of animism
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
by Papuans.
The densest population center, other than the large coastal cities that house Indonesian bureaucratic and commercial apparatus, is located in and around the town of Wamena in the Palim (a.k.a. Baliem) Valley of the Central Highlands. The 'extreme democracy' and ecological stewardship of the highlands Papuan society is documented by Jared Diamond
Jared Diamond
Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author whose work draws from a variety of fields. He is currently Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA...
in the book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
Economy
One of the Papua's potential economy is forest which cover 42 million hectares with estimated worth Rp.700 trillion ($78 billion). "If the forests are managed properly and sustainably, they can produce over 500 million cubic meters of logs per annum."Ecology
A vital tropical rainforest with the tallest tropical trees and vast biodiversity, Papua's known forest fauna includes marsupials (including possumPossum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
s, wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
, tree-kangaroo
Tree-kangaroo
Tree-kangaroos are macropods adapted for life in trees. They are found in the rainforests of New Guinea, far northeastern Queensland, and nearby islands. Although most are found in mountainous areas, several species also occur in lowlands, such as the aptly named Lowlands Tree-kangaroo...
s, cuscus
Cuscus
Cuscus is the common name generally given to the species within the four genera of Australasian possum:* Ailurops* Phalanger* Spilocuscus* Strigocuscus...
es), other mammals (including the endangered Long-beaked Echidna
Long-beaked echidna
The long-beaked echidnas make up one of the two genera of echidnas, spiny monotremes that lives in New Guinea. There are three living species and two extinct species in this genus...
), many bird species (including birds of paradise, cassowaries
Cassowary
The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia. There are three extant species recognized today...
, parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s, cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
s), the world's longest lizards (Papua monitor
Monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...
) and the world's largest butterflies.
The island has an estimated 16,000 species of plant, 124 genera of which are endemic.
The extensive waterways and wetlands of Papua are also home to salt and freshwater crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
, tree monitors, flying foxes
Megabat
Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera . They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.-Description:...
, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
, bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s and other animals; while the equatorial glacier fields remain largely unexplored.
In February 2006, a team of scientists exploring the Foja Mountains
Foja Mountains
The Foja Mountains are located just north of the Mamberamo river basin in Papua, Indonesia. The mountains rise to , and have 3,000 square kilometres of old growth tropical rainforest in the interior part of the range...
, Sarmi
Sarmi
Count Ferdinando Sarmi was the head of the Sarmi fashion design house in New York City.-Early years:Ferdinando Sarmi was born into a wealthy Italian family. He expressed interest in fashion as a youth but was discouraged from pursuing a design career by his father...
, discovered numerous new species of birds, butterflies, amphibians, and plants, including possibly the largest-flowered species of rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
.
Protected areas within Papua province include the Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park is located in the Indonesian province of Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya . With an area of 25,056 km² , it is the largest national park in South-East Asia...
, which is also a World Heritage site and the Wasur National Park
Wasur National Park
The Wasur National Park forms part of the largest wetland in Papua province of Indonesia and has been the least disturbed by human activity. The high value of its biodiversity has led to the park being dubbed the "Serengeti of Papua"...
, a RAMSAR
Ramsar
Ramsar is a city in and the capital of Ramsar County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 31,659, in 9,421 families....
wetland of international importance.
Ecological threats include logging-induced deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
, forest conversion for plantation agriculture (especially oil palm
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
), smallholder agricultural conversion, the introduction and potential spread of alien species such as the Crab-eating Macaque
Crab-eating Macaque
The Crab-eating macaque is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. It is also called the "long-tailed macaque", and is referred to as the "cynomolgus monkey" in laboratories.-Etymology:...
which preys on and competes with indigenous species, the illegal species trade, and water pollution from oil and mining operations.
Papua's ancient rain forests have recently come under an even greater threat of deforestation after the Chinese government placed an order of 1 billion US dollar or 800,000 cubic meters of the threatened merbau rainforest timbers, used in buildings for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
In remote forested valleys, several thousand smallholder farmers are growing Arabica coffee in the shade of Calliandra
Calliandra
Calliandra is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Mimosoideae. It contains about 200 species that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of southern Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas.-Biological description:...
, Erythrina
Erythrina
Erythrina is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, growing up to in height...
and Albizia
Albizia
Albizia is a genus of about 150 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, Central, South, and southern North America and Australia, but mostly...
trees. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not available in these valleys. Since there are no roads, the coffee is flown out and then exported from the port of Jayapura.
Lake Sentani Festival
Lake Sentani is surrounded by beautiful hills, a perfect place for fishing, swimming, canoeing, skiing, and other kinds of water sports. Every June 19-23, Lake Sentani Festival has been held in the Kalkhote tourist resort on the Sentani lakeside in Papua's provincial capital of JayapuraJayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
. With themed 'Loved, Peace, and Harmony,' tourists first see Lake Sentani Festival and then visit villages such as Tablanusu, Bukisi, and Amay Beach before proceeding to Wamena
Wamena
Wamena is the capital town of the Jayawijaya Regency of Indonesia. It is the largest town in Indonesian Papua's highlands, in the Baliem Valley and has a population of around 10,000 . Wamena is the urban centre of a rural area housing West Papua's highest concentration of population, with over 300...
. In 2011, the Lake Sentani Festival was the fourth event since 2008.