West Papua (province)
Province in Indonesia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat), formerly Irian Jaya Barat (West Irian), is an Indonesian province located in the land of Papua. It covers most of the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea, the eastern half of the Bird's Head Peninsula (or Doberai Peninsula) and the whole of the Bomberai Peninsula, along with nearby smaller islands. The province is bordered to the north by the Pacific Ocean, to the west by Southwest Papua Province, the Halmahera Sea and the Ceram Sea, to the south by the Banda Sea, and to the east by the province of Central Papua and the Cenderawasih Bay. Manokwari is the province's capital and largest city. With an estimated population of 561,403 in mid-2022, West Papua is the least populous province in Indonesia after Southwest Papua, which was a part of West Papua until separated off in 2022.[1]
West Papua
Papua Barat | |
---|---|
Province of West Papua | |
Motto(s): | |
Coordinates (Manokwari): 0°52′S 134°5′E | |
Country | Indonesia |
Founded | 2003 |
Capital and largest city | Manokwari |
Government | |
• Body | West Papua Provincial Government |
• Governor | Ali Baham Temongmere [id] (Acting) |
• Vice Governor | Vacant |
Area | |
• Total | 60,275.33 km2 (23,272.44 sq mi) |
• Rank | 5th |
[1] | |
Highest elevation | 2,955 m (9,695 ft) |
Population (mid 2022 estimate)[1] | |
• Total | 561,403 |
• Density | 9.3/km2 (24/sq mi) |
92.03 | |
Demographics | |
• Ethnic groups | 51% West Papuan tribes (including Arfak, Biak-Numfor, Ayfat, Baham, Yapen, Mooi, Tehit, Wandamen, Irahutu, Kokoda, Inanwatan) 15% Javanese 5.3% Buginese 4.4% Ambonese 4.1% Butonese 2.3% Makassar 17.9% other |
• Religion | 62.9% Christianity —54.2% Protestantism —8.7% Catholicism 36.7% Islam 0.19% Hinduism 0.19% Buddhism |
• Languages | Indonesian Papuan Malay (lingua franca) and various local languages |
Time zone | UTC+09:00 (Indonesia Eastern Time) |
HDI | 0.626 (medium) |
HDI rank | 16th |
Website | papuabaratprov |
After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the Dutch remained in New Guinea until 1962 when they transferred the control of the region to the Indonesian government as a part of the New York Agreement. West Papua was legally created as a province in 1999 (out of the original Papua Province), but it was not inaugurated until 2003. Consisting until 2022 of twelve regencies and one city, the province has a special autonomous status as granted by Indonesian legislation.
West Papua has a medium Human Development Index. The Indonesian government has launched the building of ambitious infrastructure projects including the Trans-Papua Highway, airports, and other facilities. Detractors claim that these projects threaten Southeast Asia's and Oceania's last large regions of tropical rainforests and native cultures.[2] According to Bank Indonesia, West Papua recorded an economic growth rate of 7.7% during 2018, which is higher than the national economic growth.[3]