Central Papua

Central Papua is a province located in the middle of Western New Guinea.

It sits within the country of Indonesia. This province is surrounded by other Indonesian provinces. To the west is West Papua, and to the north and northeast is Papua. To the east lies Highland Papua, while South Papua is to the southeast. The land is also bordered by seas to both the north and the south.

It is a vast area covering about 61,079 square kilometers.

The land changes a lot depending on where you stand. In the north, the lowlands sit next to the Teluk Cenderawasih National Park. This area is great for marine tourism because of its coral reefs and white sandy islands. You might even see whale sharks in their natural home there.

The southern part of the province is mostly made of swampy terrain. This area includes the port of Amamapare and the large town of Timika.

In the center, the high Jayawijaya Mountains dominate the view. These mountains include Puncak Jaya, which is the highest peak in all of Indonesia.

This peak is famous because it is covered in snow.

History in this region involves many different groups of people. Long ago, the western part of Mimika was part of the Tidore Sultanate's influence. Three major ethnic groups, the Koiwai, Kamoro, and Asmat, lived here. They traded items like ironwares, clothes, and ornaments.

In the interior, groups like the Mee and Moni lived traditionally. They grew tubers and raised pigs.

Early explorers found these communities during an expedition between 1909 and 1911. Later, a Dutch pilot named Frits Wissel flew over the highlands in the 1930s. He found three large lakes where the Mee people lived.

Many important discoveries happened in these mountains. In 1936, a group called the Carstensz expedition climbed Puncak Jaya.

A geologist named Jean Jacques Dozy found large copper deposits there. These findings were later used by the Freeport Sulfur Company in 1963. Led by Forbes Wilson, they confirmed the area had huge natural wealth.

This led to the opening of the Grasberg gold mine.

This mine is a very large and important part of the region. The province itself was officially formed on 25 July 2022. It was created from eight older regencies that used to be part of Papua province.

Today, Central Papua is a place of many busy towns and large numbers. By mid-2025, the population was estimated to be about 1,492,290 people.

The capital is located in the Wanggar District of Nabire Regency.

While Nabire is the capital, Timika is a much larger town. The province is divided into eight different regencies. These include Nabire, Mimika, Paniai, and Puncak Jaya, among others.

People in the region continue to live near the mountains, the swamps, and the sea. It remains a place where the landscape and the people are deeply connected.