Download Irian Jaya A land lost in time

Irian Jaya
~A land lost in time~
At a glance
Indonesia’s eastern most and largest province
Borders Pacific Ocean on the north, Arafuru Sea on the
south, Papua New Guinea on the east, Province of
Maluku on the west.
Remained a Dutch Territory till 1962
Makes up 22% of Indonesia's total land area but only
harbours 1% of its populationa
A land of exceptional natural grandeur with scenic
beaches, immense stretches of marshlands, meadows
and powerful rivers tunneling through primeval forest.
Geography
Area : 421,981 sq. km
(May be divided into the 3 distinct regions Baliem Valley, Casuarian coast, North and
West Irian)
Capital : Jayapura.
Population: 2,219,500 (2000).
Density : 6 persons per sq. km (2000).
Climate: Two seasons: wet and dry.
Map of Irian Jaya
Population make up
250 ethnic groups today
Physically very distinct from other Indonesians in
the rest of the archipelago.
No one really knows exactly the ancestors of the
ethnic tribes.
Javanese and the Balinese were migrated to this
island over last few decades.
Most well known tribes are the Dani of the
Baliem Valley and the Asmat of the south coast
Population make up
Asmat people and their woodcraft
Dani people of the Baliem Valley
Asmat people and their canoe
The Korowai tribe
Population make up
Asmat people believe they were born out of
wood and are known for their wood crafts
Dani people were known for their ‘koteka’
Before missionaries came to introduce western
religion, the natives were mostly animists.
Indonesian government also intervened in
stopping animism
In remote areas animism is still practiced today
Places of interests
Jayapura
Neat and pleasant provincial capital
Built on the slope of a hill overlooking the bay
General Douglas assembled his invasion force here
during World War II
An assortment of museums, hotels, restaurants,
banks and markets
Lake Sentani
Famous primitive arts centre.
Short trip from Jayapura offers a pleasant foretaste
of the province's magnificent sceneries.
Places of Interest
The Baliem Valley
Once dubbed Shangri La
Also called the ‘Stone age Valley’
Incredibly lush and fertile and is surrounded on all
sides by towering peaks of 2,500 to 3,000 metres.
Only discovered by westerners in 1938
Dani and Yali warriors first gained notoriety in the late
1960’s for a group of missionaries
For the adventurous travellers
Places of Interest
Biak Island
Formerly served as a major air-stopover on transpacific flights from Indonesia
Major attractions are coastal: white sandy beaches
and extremely accessible shallow water coral reefs.
Diving and snorkelling here thought by many to be
amongst the very best in the world.
Yapen Island
Offers an experience of true pristine beauty
Main Island populated by many birds of paradise
Snorkelling, diving and swimming are as good, if not
better, than on nearby Biak.
Places of Interest
Morning mist over Baliem Valley
Pristine beauty of Irian Jaya
Beautiful sunset
Lake Sentani
Getting there
Most common way is to first fly to
UjungPandang, Capital of South Sulawesi
Then a connecting flight can be taken to
Jayapura
Silkair flies direct from Singapore to
UjungPandang twice a week.
Best time to visit Jaya is from May through
September and December.
Any visitor needs a surat jalan (travel permit) to
travel through the province
Irian Jaya – a fitting description
The towering mountains and primitive
cultures of Irian Jaya contrast sharply with
the terraced hills, and highly sophisticated
societies of Bali and Java.
With the 5030m Jaya Kesum peak, its
equatorial glaciers, the undisturbed jungle
of Memberamo and everything else in
between, Irian Jaya has it all.
~The End~