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Jayapura

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Jayapura is a busy city on the island of New Guinea. It is the capital and largest city of the Papua province in Indonesia.

Map Districts (Kecamatan) of Jayapura
Map Districts (Kecamatan) of Jayapura

The city sits right on the northern coast of the island. It meets the Pacific Ocean and Yos Sudarso Bay. To the east, it shares a border with the country of Papua New Guinea.

YosSudarsoBayFromSkyline
YosSudarsoBayFromSkyline

The land here is not flat at all. It has many valleys, hills, and high mountains. About 30% of the area is where people live. The rest is made of rough terrain, swamps, and protected forests. It has a tropical rainforest climate, so it rains heavily all year long.

Many different people live in Jayapura today. In mid-2024, there were about 410,852 people living there. This includes 218,356 males and 192,416 females. The city acts like a magnet for people from all over Indonesia. Many come from places like Java or Sulawesi to find work. Some people call it a "city of education" because of its many schools.

Transmetrojayapura
Transmetrojayapura

Between 2010 and 2020, it was the fastest-growing city in the whole country. This means the population grew by 55.23% in just ten years. It is the second largest city on the entire island of New Guinea.

The city has a long history with many different names. Long ago, the area was known as Numbay. People traded things like spices, fish, and bird-of-paradise feathers. In 1910, the Dutch named the settlement Hollandia.

Hollandia Haven Diverse prauwen, Bestanddeelnr 8047
Hollandia Haven Diverse prauwen, Bestanddeelnr 8047

During World War II, Japanese forces occupied the area. Later, Allied forces arrived and used a naval base there. After the Dutch left, the city had several names. It was called Kota Baru and Sukarnopura. Finally, it became Jayapura. This name comes from Sanskrit and means "city of victory."

There are many ways people make a living in Jayapura. Much of the money comes from trade, services, and finance.

Jayapura Bay - panoramio
Jayapura Bay - panoramio

The city is also the fourth largest economy in Eastern Indonesia. Tourism is a growing part of the local economy too. Some local people work in tourism near beautiful beaches. They sell things like fish or coconuts to visitors. However, some people still rely on traditional ways of living. They might catch fish in the sea or use sago from plants. This is called a subsistence economy.

Getting around Jayapura is easy with different types of transport. There are buses that help people move through the city.

Transmetrojayapura
Transmetrojayapura

To travel far away, people use Sentani International Airport. This airport is about 40 km west of the city. There is also a highway that goes east toward the border. This path leads all the way to the village of Skouw. You can also reach other towns like Sarmi using the Trans-Papua Highway. These paths help connect the city to the rest of the island.

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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Hollandia Haven Diverse prauwen, Bestanddeelnr 8047.jpg
Hollandia Haven Diverse prauwen,...
File:YosSudarsoBayFromSkyline.jpg
YosSudarsoBayFromSkyline.jpg
File:Map Districts (Kecamatan) of Jayapura.png
Map Districts (Kecamatan) of Jayapura.png
File:Jayapura Bay - panoramio.jpg
Jayapura Bay - panoramio.jpg
File:Transmetrojayapura.jpg
Transmetrojayapura.jpg
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