Papua

Papua or Irian Jaya , province (1990 pop. 1,641,430, including West Papua prov.), c.162,000 sq mi (419,580 sq km, including West Papua prov., see below), Indonesia. Comprising most of the western half of New Guinea and a number of offshore islands, it is Indonesia's largest province. The capital is Jayapura (formerly Hollandia). A rugged, densely forested region, with snow-capped mountains rising to over 16,500 ft (5,029 m; highest in the nation) at Jaya Peak , it is inhabited chiefly by Papuans living in hundreds of tribes, each with its own language and customs; about 10% of the population consists of Malay settlers from other areas in Indonesia. The tropical coastal lowlands are swampy and cut by many rivers, including the Digul and the Mamberano, Indonesia's largest.

Subsistence farming is carried on (some of the highland tribes terrace and cultivate mountains with slopes of 45°); taro, bananas, sugarcane, and sweet potatoes are the principal crops. Wild game is trapped, and there is fishing along the coast and the rivers. The Grasberg Mine, in central Papua, is the world's largest gold deposit and also contains valuable copper and silver deposits. Magnetite has been found in the Sterren (Star) Mts. near the Papua New Guinea border, a region unexplored until 1959.

The Dutch first visited the west coast of the island in 1606. They extended their rule along the coastal areas in the 18th cent., and in 1828 claimed possession of the coast west of the 141st meridian and in 1848 of the north coast W of Humboldt Bay. The Dutch claim to the western half of the island was recognized by Great Britain and Germany in treaties of 1885 and 1895. In World War II the northern coastal areas and offshore islands were occupied (1942) by the Japanese but retaken (1944) by the Allies, after which Hollandia became a staging base for operations in the Philippines.

Following Indonesian independence (1949), the Dutch retained control of what was then called Netherlands (or Dutch) New Guinea. Years of dispute over the territory culminated in a declaration of independence in 1961 by native Papuans, which was not recognized by Indonesia, and the landing (early 1962) of Indonesian guerrillas and paratroopers there. The conflict between the Dutch and Indonesia ended in late 1962 when the Netherlands agreed to UN administration of territory and, after May 1, 1963, transfer of it to Indonesian control pending a plebiscite (to be held under UN supervision before 1970). In Aug., 1969, several hundred tribal leaders, voting as representatives of their people, chose to remain under Indonesian rule, and Indonesia then formally annexed the territory. The province, which had been known as Irian Barat (West Irian) was officially renamed Irian Jaya in 1973.

Many Papuans objected to the annexation; resistance to Indonesian rule, which began in 1962, has persisted, leading to sporadic large-scale conflicts and repressive army control. In June, 2000, a congress of Papuan activists declared the province independent as West Papua, an action that was rejected by the Indonesian government, which subsequently responded with a military crackdown on independence supporters. The area, however, was subsequently granted (2001) limited autonomy. In 2002 the provincial government adopted the name Papua for the province. A national government proposal in 2003 to split Papua into three provinces sparked new unrest there, and the Indonesia constitutional court annulled (2004) the law that divided the province. However, the court nonetheless accepted the establishment of West Irian Jaya prov., which had already been created on Papua's western peninsula. West Irian Jaya prov. was renamed West Papua prov. in 2007.

Papua Formerly known as Irian Jaya (West Irian), it is the western half of an island also known as New Guinea, inhabited by over 200 tribes with as many languages, numbering a total of just over one million inhabitants. It was claimed by the Dutch from 1875, in response to fears that the Australians would take possession of the whole of the island. It remained relatively unexplored by the Dutch, who used it mainly as the site for a penal colony. Upon Indonesian independence in 1949, the Netherlands retained control over the territory because of Irian's tenuous links with Indonesia. This remained a contentious issue in relations between the Netherlands and Indonesia, which regarded continued Dutch presence in the area as an affront to its sovereignty. Under the nationalist ‘Guilded Democracy’ of President Sukarno, Indonesian forces invaded the country (1961–2), whereupon the Dutch, under pressure from the UN and the USA, conceded defeat. Since then it has been subject to extensive Indonesian immigration and cultivation programmes. Indonesian dominance of government posts, and cultural and linguistic infringements on its indigenous peoples, have produced widespread resentment, expressed in the formation of the guerrilla Free Papua Movement. The demand for independence grew during the 1990s, emboldened by the weakness of the Indonesian government, and the independence granted to East Timor. However, Indonesia refused to grant independence. Instead, by 2001 it granted the province autonomy. Re-named Papua, its people were granted a greater share of revenues from its mineral resources, and were allowed to fly their own flag.

Papua New Guinea