West Papua (province)
province of Indonesia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West Papua is a province of Indonesia. It is on the New Guinea island and has many peninsulas and islands. Manokwari is the main city. Around 561,403 people lived there in mid-2022, making it the second least populous province in Indonesia after Southwest Papua.[1]
The Dutch were in New Guinea until 1962. Then, control went to Indonesia. West Papua officially became a province in 1999 and was inaugurated in 2003. Until 2022, it had special status with twelve regencies and one city.[2]
West Papua has a medium Human Development Index, second-lowest in Indonesia. The government is building things like roads and airports. Some worry this might harm rainforests and native cultures. According to Bank Indonesia, West Papua's economy grew by 7.7% in 2018, which is more than the national average.[3][4]