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 The Korowai tribeAsmat people and their canoe

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 trans- pacific 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 Lake Sentani Beautiful sunset

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~