It was
reported by Anton Ploeg that the word Papua is often said to be derived from
the Malay word papua or pua-pua , meaning “frizzly-haired”,referring to
the very curly hair of the inhabitants of these areas.
Papua is one
of the most resource-rich areas in the world,and is also home to the Papuans.
It is recognized internationally as Papua, a province of Indonesia, and was
previously known as Netherlands New Guinea (until 1962), West Irian
(1962-1973), and Irian Jaya (1973-2000). Those who do not recognize the
legitimacy of Indonesia claim to Papua refer to the area as West Papua.
Papua is
bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the north,Papua New Guinea to the east, the
Arafura Sea to the south, and Cenderawasih Bay and the Indonesian Province of
West Papua (Papua Barat) to the west. The provincial capital is Jayapura.
Papua is
bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the north,Papua New Guinea to the east, the
Arafura Sea to the south, and Cenderawasih Bay and the Indonesian Province of
West Papua (Papua Barat) to the west. The provincial capital is Jayapura.
West Papua
is well known for its Raja Ampat islands, which is said by some
diving operators to contain the richest marine biodiversity in the world.
