West Papua, formerly Irian Jaya Barat, is a province of Indonesia. It covers the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea, the eastern half of the Bird's Head Peninsula and the Bomberai Peninsula, along with nearby smaller islands. The province is bordered to the north by the Pacific Ocean, to the west by 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. West Papua is the second-least populous province in Indonesia. It had a population of 1,134,068 at the 2020 Census, and the official estimate for mid 2022 was 1,183,307. However the total area and population was reduced by the Parliamentary decision on 17 November 2022 to create a 38th province of Indonesia, comprising Sorong city and the regencies of Sorong, South Sorong, Raja Ampat, Maybrat and Tambrauw; this new province, called Southwest Papua, came into existence from 8 December 2022. The reduced West Papua Province thus had a mid-2022 population estimated at only 561,403.
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, Indonesian Papua, West Papua New Guinea, is the western, Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region is also called West Papua.
Manokwari is a coastal town and the capital of the Indonesian province of West Papua. It is one of only seven provincial capitals of Indonesia without a city status. It is also the administrative seat of Manokwari Regency. However, under proposals currently under consideration by the Indonesian Parliament, it is planned to split Manokwari town off from the regency and turn it into a separate city. The majority of Manokwari residents are Christians and the town is one of the seats of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manokwari–Sorong.
The Arfak astrapia is a species of astrapia, a group of birds found in the birds-of-paradise family Paradiseidae.
Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. The peninsula is dominated by the steep Saruwaged and Finisterre and Cromwell Mountains. The nearest large town is the Morobe provincial capital Lae to the south, while settlements on the north coast include the former German town of Finschhafen, the district capital of Wasu, Malalamai and Saidor with its World War II era Saidor Airport.
The Bird's Head Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula, is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces of Southwest Papua and West Papua. It is often referred to as The Vogelkop, and is so named because its shape looks like a bird's head on the island of New Guinea. The peninsula at the opposite end of the island is called the Bird's Tail Peninsula. The peninsula just to the south is called the Bomberai Peninsula.
The grey-banded mannikin, or grey-banded munia, is a species of estrildid finch known to be found in Anggi Gigi, Tamrau Mountains, and Arfak Mountains in the Vogelkop Peninsula in north-western Papua, Indonesia. This species inhabits mid-mountain wet grassland and marshland. It also can be found on abandoned agricultural plots near human settlements.
New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the 150-kilometre wide Torres Strait, though both landmasses lie on the same continental shelf. Numerous smaller islands are located to the west and east.
The Arfak pygmy bandicoot is a species of marsupial in the family Peramelidae. It is endemic to the Arfak mountains in the Vogelkop Peninsula of West Papua, in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The population is unknown and threats may be human expansion and hunting but it is protected by Arfak Reserve.
The Pegunungan Arfak Nature Reserve lies in the north-east corner of the Bird's Head Peninsula in the Indonesian province of West Papua. It is located 25 km south of the provincial capital Manokwari. It spans from near the coast up to the highest point in the province, Pegunungan Arfak, at 2,955 m (9,695 ft).
New Guinea, lying within the tropics and with extensive mountain areas, comprises a wide range of ecoregions. These include rainforests, grasslands and mangrove.
Teluk Bintuni Regency is a regency of West Papua Province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 18,637 km2, comprising administrative districts on three sides of Bintuni Bay, a gulf that separates the Bird's Head Peninsula and Bomberai Peninsula which together form the main geographical constituents of the province; it had a population of 52,422 at the 2010 Census and 87,083 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre is the town of Bintuni.
Mount Arfak is the highest point in the province of West Papua. It is located on north-east side of the Bird's Head Peninsula. It is a popular hiking area and is the highest peak of the Arfak Mountains. From the summit, Manokwari can be seen. The summit of Mt. Arfak is temperate and dry with very hot, dry summer temperatures that average below 95 °F (35 °C) and mild, humid winter temperatures that average above 38 °F (3 °C). During the winter months, the mountain's summit receives frost usually and sometimes can get to 33 °F (0 °C) every now and then. Sometimes snow can fall on the summit, but not every year. Average rain amount per year is about 45 inches (1150 mm). The mountain is part of the Pegunungan Arfak Nature Reserve, a 683-square-kilometer (264 sq mi) protected area that protects parts of the Vogelkop montane rain forests ecoregion. The mountain is also the highest point in the Manokwari metropolitan area.
The Vogelkop mountain rat, Rattus arfakiensis, is a species of rat native to Indonesia. It is found only in the Bird's Head Peninsula of Papua Province, Indonesia.
The Tamrau Mountains, also known as the Tambrauw Mountains or the Tamarau Mountains, is a mountain range located in the north central region of the Bird's Head Peninsula in the province of West Papua. It is made up of an isolated and lesser continuous mountain chain compared to the Arfak Mountains. The Tamrau and Arfak Mountains are both divided by the grassy Kebar Valley, which is the heartland of many indigenous people, with a variety of backgrounds. The Tamrau Mountains have been very scantily surveyed for any purpose till this day. The mountains are an important and threatened site of biodiversity, part of the Vogelkop montane rain forests ecoregion.
Bon Irau, with an elevation of 2,501 metres (8,205 ft), is the highest peak in the Tamrau Mountains and the highest point in the province of West Papua outside of the Arfak Mountains. It is located in the north central region of the Bird's Head Peninsula and located around 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the grassy Kebar Valley.
The Kebar Valley is a large pleistocene/holocene intermontane valley found in the north central region of the Bird's Head Peninsula in the province of Southwest Papua. The valley is enclosed by the fault-bounded Tamrau Mountains at an area of 2,703 square kilometres (1,044 sq mi). Its depth averages from 500 to 600 m in the lower sections to around 900 to 1,400 m in the upper sections of the valley. The valley is located 130 km (81 mi) west of Manokwari and 190 km (120 mi) east of Sorong. The nearest major village to the valley is Saukorem. A notable path runs through the Kebar Valley connecting Saukorem to the settlement of Andai and reaches an altitude of 1,200 m (3,900 ft). This has created many villages throughout the area, leading to a growing rice production in the central and eastern regions of the valley. From north to south, the Kebar Valley ranges from 16 to 30 km wide, and from east to west, it extends from 94 to 116 km in length.
The Vogelkop–Aru lowland rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion covers the peninsular lowlands of western New Guinea, along with the Aru Islands and other nearby islands.
The Vogelkop montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in western New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the mountains of western New Guinea's Bird's Head and Bomberai peninsulas.
The Southeastern Papuan rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in southeastern New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the mountainous center and coastal lowlands of the Papuan Peninsula.
