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Papua Barat

(West Papua)

West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat), formerly Irian Jaya Barat or Irian Barat, is a province of Indonesia. It covers the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea, Bird's Head Peninsula and Bomberai Peninsula, along with nearby islands. The province is bordered to the north by the Pacific Ocean, to the west by the Halmahera Sea and the Ceram Sea, to the south by the Banda Sea, and to the east by the province of Papua and the Cenderawasih Bay. Manokwari is the province's capital, while Sorong is its largest city. West Papua is the second-least populous province in Indonesia, with a population of 1,134,068 at the 2020 Census.

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. West Papua has a medium Human Development Index, which is the second lowest among Indonesia's 34 provinces.

Founded

in 2003,

with Manokwari as the capital city, and the largest city is Sorong

Goverment

of Papua Barat Province,  lead by Governor Dominggus Mandacan and Vice Governor Mohamad Lakotani

Area

102,946.15 km2

(39,747.73 sq mi), rank 5th in Indonesia. The highest elevation is Mount Arak at 2,955 m (9,695 ft)

Population

(base on 2020 cencus) is 1.134.068 with density of 11/km2 (29/sq mi)

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Religion

62.9% Christianity

36.74% Islam

0.19% Hinduism 

0.19% Buddhism

Ethnic Groups

51% West Papuantribes

15% Javanese

5.3% Buginese

4.4% Ambonese

4.1% Butonese

2.3% Makassar

17.9% other

Languages

Indonesian 

Papuan Malay (lingua franca) 

and various local languages

Political

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Political standpoint in Sorong, West Papua, is putting emphasis on its tribe’s primordial identity.  Maybrat  (one of the local Papua tribes) with affiliation with the Makassar tribe holds the majority government chair for the city of Sorong. This situation resulted in a spoilt system and hidden agenda between both parties. Maybrat tribes would be seated in government chairs while transmigrants from Makassar (a city in South Sulawesi) support Maybrat tribes by easing the building permit and business protection from regulation and policy created in the area. The original tribes of Papua, Moi tribes, on the other hand are heavily pressured. The news about the development of West Papua, Sorong city, adds desire from political parties to focus on their own parties. From the situation, we can clearly see how political power in West Papua is governed by transmigrants. Thankfully, West Papua is considered as one of the special autonomy regions; so transmigrants are limited in their contract with the government.  about the services you offer. Add your own content here.

Economy

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In Papua island,  Sorong city is located between Papua and West Papua that make it a strategic location for domestic trade in East Indonesia. Sorong is a transit area for land and air transportation to get to the other areas in Papua. Sorong city is also the main source for food distribution throughout West Papua Province. As a part of the Special Economy Area, Sorong is a developing city where international trading between Asia Pacific and Australia are taking place; whether it is agriculture, mining industry, and logistics. These investments have resulted in trillions rupiahs as income trade as well as creating thousands of jobs in Sorong city. Ironically, the local economy is majority managed by transmigrants. Only a small community of Papua worked hard and successfully  developed their land and sea. Papuans’ lack of education makes them dependent on governments’ help to support their daily living.

Social

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Social environment in Sorong is susceptible to robbery. Most of the young children from kindergarten, elementary school, and youth are working as illegal parking staff and asking for money at the public places. Young children are addicted to inhaling power glue as a cheaper alternative for marijuana. Children do not get enough nutrition and are not living a healthy lifestyle.

Environmental

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Sorong environment is quite vulnerable with landslides and flooding because of dig C type and litter both at the sea and land. These have caused ecology damage. The build of infrastructure in Sorong is not paying close attention to its impact on the environment. The houses where the local papuans are living have a poor environment and sanitation. 

Law

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The law enforcement in Sorong city still follows the traditional tribes law and has been accepted by the Indonesian government in order to protect Papuans’ tribes transition. This tribe law also guaranteed the protection for Papua culture and tradition. Tradition law also guarantees protection of Papuans’ land ownership; however, in reality there are a lot of unfinished land cases because of the land transaction without approval from the neighborhood.  

Technology

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Sorong, West Papua have a pretty strong internet access (4G) across the city. Private companies and government institutions are connecting integratively with one another. With this improvement of technology, there is a pretty significant growth in online businesses, such as GoJek, GoFood, Grab, etc that improve Sorong quality of life. 

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