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General  Information

The province of Irian Jaya or Papua stand at the eastern most part of Indonesia - next to Papua New Guinea. Irian Jaya ( Papua ) is Indonesia has been known of its famous Dani tribesmen inhabiting the Baliem Valley, the Asmat tribesmen with their unique wood carvings, rare and spectacular flora and fauna and glacier mountains. Irian ( Papua ) is also renowned of its primitive way of life, especially at the southern coast and the remote highlands. 

Besides all above, Irian ( Papua ) with 414.800 square kilometers or over 20 percent of Indonesia's total land area, owns 228,000 sea miles of fine beaches. Never compare to Kuta Beach in Bali ! So you do not have to wonder why Irian Jaya also owns the most spectacular sea gardens in the world.

Its tropical rain forest and jungles are known to be very wild and impenetrable. Puncak Jaya or the so - called Carstenz Peak, one of the tallest peaks in the island, covered by everlasting snow and surrounded by Lorentz Reserve which is the largest conservation area in Indonesia, covering some 21.500 square kilometers ( 8.300 square miles ).

World War II remains during the Pacific war spread through the island of Irian Jaya and beyond. Frequently Japanese and rarely American Veterans make memorials trip to Biak, Numfor, Manokwari, Sorong, Sarmi, and Jayapura. Tank ruins, landing ships and war memorial statues are common sight in those historical areas.  

Geography

The island of Irian Jaya ( Papua ) lies at 0° 19' - 10° 45' south latitudes and 130°45' - 141°48' north attitudes. It is facing Pacific Ocean on the north, Papua New Guinea on the east, Arafuru sea and Indonesia Ocean on the South. To the West, it is neighbor to Maluku Islands.

Geographically Irian Jaya varies from one place to other. from glacier - covered mountain and deep cliff down to formidably steep and rugged valleys. from many types of forest to freshwater swamps, plains and torrid mangroves swamps on the south coast. At the central part mountains tower across the island from east to west such as Mt, Trikora (4.750 m). Mt. Mandala (4.760 m), Mt.yamin(4.595 m) and the tallest is Puncak Jaya or peak Carstenz at official height of 4.884 meters. At the south and southwestern part of the island almost all are smapy with mangrove and Tropical rain forest. These areas live the Asmat, Citak Mitak, Korowai and Kombai tribesmen in primitive fashion. the highlands of up to 2000 meters are inhabited by the Dany, Lany, Yali, Amungme and other related tribesmen. 

Climate

 As a huge island with mountainous topography and astronomical and geographical influences, the climate is also different in every area although generally the climate is also different in area although generally the climate is tropical. Along the mountain the ridges rainforest falls almost all years while at the northern coast wet season is longer than dry season occurs from April trough November.-

History

No one really knows the ancestors of the irian jaya people .  on some of the friezes at Borobudur, frizzy haired men and women appear but these could just as well represent peoples from island closer to java . The majapahit kingdom of java even mentioned two territories in irian jaya , onion and seran. However it is certain that trade between some  of the moluccan  island or perhaps even java  , and the irian existed long before this. items such as bird of paradise skins and Missory bark , unquestionably  of Iirianese origin ,were well - known trade items. And sultan Tidore long claimed areas in and around  west Irian. predicted that Papuans reached New Guinea at the Pleistocene era ,when periods of glaciations reduced sea levels 100 to 150 meters below their present levels. The history of man and resulting submergence and emergence of two great continental shelves at the opposite ends of the archipelago ; the Sahul in the east and the Sunda in the west. 

 During Word War  II , Irianjaya ,especially Biak  , Jayapura , Sarmi ,Manokwari  and Sorong were once base of the Pacific war . Led by General Douglas Mac Arthur, Allied Force attacked Japanese troops and forced them out . As result there are a lot of war remains throughout the island . The Dutch colonized the country of Indonesia ,including Irian jaya , for years . Arter took independence in 1945 ,the Dutch lef main islands of Indonesia but not Irianjaya .In many cities and towns and even in villages, today ,developments may not be hidden .

The People And The Way of Live

he indigenous people of Irian jaya are Melanesians  with black skins and curly hair .They generally have a root crop subsistence agriculture based on sweet potatoes and taro. people in the lowlands and swamps , however , obtain their starch from the sago palm which gives an extremely generous  yield for remarkably little effort. feral and domesticated ping on the island of Irian jaya from southeast Asia was an event which has han vast cultural and ritual significance for its people pigs are often treated as members of the family and are sometimes suckled by women. In some places they also accompany women to the gardens daily when they are weaned. from the discovery of a jawbone archaeologist estimate the pig arrived about 6,500 years ago. while many other people of the world were still hunter and gatherers ,Irian people had begun to garden. after fairly recently , many of the people lived within a simple Stone Age culture wearing little clothing and decorating their bodies with painting , shells ,pig tusks ,feathers and skins. there is a plethora of languages in the province, perhaps some 250 in all, each representing a tribal group which mixes little with the others. Some of the more remote groups still have virtually no contact whit the outside world. In recent years, Indonesians from elsewhere in the country such as Java ,Sumatra and Sulawesi have come to the province.

The Flora &   Fauna

Irian jaya may have the richest wildlife and concentration of plant life in all of Indonesia, or perhaps the world. No others islands in the archipelago can match its various kind of bird, including birds of paradise, parrot families, pigeons and flightless cassowary. Irian jaya is also home150 species of lizards , 30, 000 beetles, 200 frog and 800 spiders. A high percentage of Irian jaya's 100 snake spices are poisonous, including all 17 spices of sea- snakes. One of the most beautiful reptiles is the green tree python ,a harmless creature with jewel like markings. there are altogether some 2,700 species of orchids found in Irian jaya, 600 species that are medicinal importance and over 124 endemic genera. The lush vegetation of Irian jaya is in fast a deceptive cover over poor soils badly leached by heavy rains and containing no rich volcanic material. Mangroves and nipa palm ensnare the brackish estuaries of the coast.

Wasior National Park

The Wasior National Park [ 4,60 square kilometers ] lies in the far south-east of  Irian jaya  immediately adjacent to the Tonda Reserve in Papua New Guinea. it is easily accessible from Merauke which, in fact, bisects the park from east to west. Wasur is a largely flat expanse of wetland & coastal plain comprising permanent & seasonal lakes & marshes crisscrossed by numerous rivers. The park stretches from the mangrove fringed coats, through beech forests, impenetrable bamboo forest, & swasmps,to the open  savanna woodland & mixed monsoon forests characteristic of the seasonably flooded plains. Fire often sweeps through the inland forest & savannahs during the dry season. 

Nearly 400 species of birds have been recorded, many of them migratory waders, Dutch, cranes, storks, ibis, spoonbills & other water birds as well as deer, the main inhabitants of the park.  also seen  here  agile wallabies, and the endemicsalvador,s monist      or lizard in the world .