South Papua

South Papua is a place in Indonesia.

It is near the sea and a country called Papua New Guinea.

The land is very flat and wet. It has many big rivers and green swamps.

You can find sago trees there. People eat sago for food.

Many different groups of people live here. Some are good at carving wood. Others live in the wetlands.

You can see many animals in the park. There are birds and small wallabies.

You might even see giant termite mounds.

It is a very special and wild place.

South Papua is a province in Indonesia.

It sits in the southern part of Papua. To the east, it shares a border with Papua New Guinea. To the west and south, it faces the Arafura Sea.

The land is mostly flat and low. It has many large rivers like the Digul and Maro. Much of the area is made of wet swamps and forests.

One special place is Wasur National Park. This park is a huge wetland. It is home to birds of paradise and agile wallabies. You can also see giant termite mounds called musamus.

Many local groups live here, such as the Asmat and Marind. The Asmat are known for carving wood. Many people eat sago to stay healthy. Sago comes from trees that grow well in wet ground.

Some people also move here to farm rice in the lowlands. South Papua is the least populous province in all of Indonesia.

South Papua is a province in the country of Indonesia.

It sits in the southern part of the island of Papua. To the east, it shares a land border with Papua New Guinea. To the north and northwest, it sits next to Highland Papua and Central Papua. The west and south sides face the Arafura Sea. This sea also forms a maritime border with Australia. The province covers a large area of 117,849.16 square kilometers.

The land here is mostly made of low areas. You would see many wide swamps and huge rivers. Two of the biggest rivers are the Digul and the Maro.

These rivers start in the New Guinea Highlands. Many sago trees grow in these wet, low lands. Local people use sago as a main food.

One very special place is Wasur National Park. It is a large wetland with many different living things. You might see an agile wallaby or a bird of paradise there.

You can also find giant termite mounds called musamus.

Long ago, many indigenous tribes lived in these wetlands. These groups included the Asmat, Marind, and Wambon tribes. The Marind people lived in groups along the rivers. They spent their time hunting, gathering, and farming. In the 1800s, European powers began to colonize the island. The Dutch built a military base in 1902. They named this base Merauke.

They also built a Catholic mission there. Later, the Dutch used the Digul River area for a detention camp. This camp was called Tanah Merah.

South Papua is divided into four different regencies. These are Merauke, Boven Digoel, Mappi, and Asmat.

The province was officially made on 25 July 2022. Before this, the area was part of the larger Papua province. It is the least populous province in all of Indonesia. In 2020, about 513,617 people lived there. By mid-2025, the estimate was 549,650 people. Merauke is the center for business and money. The town of Salor is the administrative center.

Many different people live in South Papua today. Local groups like the Asmat are famous for wood carving. They are also known for their boating culture.

Many people from Java also moved here. The government started a program to turn swamps into rice paddies.

This brought more people to the region. One big project is called the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate. It aims to help Indonesia grow more food like corn and sugar cane.

This project has faced many hard jobs and disagreements. It shows how much the land is changing.

South Papua is an Indonesian province located in the southern portion of Papua.

It follows the borders of the Papuan customary region known as Anim Ha. The province was officially established on 25 July 2022. It includes four southern regencies that were once part of the larger Papua province. Before 2002, these areas were part of the single Merauke Regency. Today, South Papua covers a land area of 117,849.16 square kilometers. This is about the same size as the US state of Pennsylvania.

The geography of South Papua is defined by its lowlands and water. Most of the region consists of low areas with extensive swamps. Massive rivers like the Digul and Maro flow through this landscape. These rivers originate in the New Guinea Highlands, which are the highest mountains in Indonesia. The land contains two main ecoregions. These are the Southern New Guinea freshwater swamp forests and the Southern New Guinea lowland rain forests. Sago trees grow abundantly in these wet environments. Local indigenous groups rely on sago and fish as their staple foods.

One of the most important natural areas is Wasur National Park. This park is a Ramsar wetland of international importance. It features a unique ecoregion called the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands. This area includes swamp forests, coastal forests, and vast savannas that flood periodically. The park has rich biodiversity. You can find the agile wallaby and the bird of paradise there. You might also see musamus, which are giant termite mounds.

The wetlands also attract migratory birds, such as the magpie goose from Australia.

The history of the region involves many indigenous tribes. Groups like the Asmat, Marind, and Wambon have lived here for generations. The Marind people traditionally lived in groups along the rivers. Their way of life focused on hunting, gathering, and farming. In the 19th century, European powers began to colonize New Guinea. The island was divided between the Dutch and the British. In 1902, the Dutch built a military base at the eastern tip of South Papua. They named this base Merauke after its location.

The Dutch also established a Catholic mission to spread their religion.

During the Dutch colonial period, the region saw significant changes. The Dutch used the remote Digul River area for a detention camp. This camp was located at the headwaters of the river, known as Boven-Digoel. The camp was called Tanah Merah. It was a densely forested area surrounded by the harsh Digul River. Malaria also made it very difficult for prisoners to escape. Notable figures, including Mohammad Hatta and Sutan Sjahrir, were once detained there. After the Dutch left in the 1960s, Tanah Merah became the capital of the Boven Digoel Regency.

South Papua is currently divided into four administrative regencies. These are Merauke, Boven Digoel, Mappi, and Asmat.

Merauke serves as the economic center of the province. The administrative center is the town of Salor, located in the Kurik District. South Papua is the least populous province in Indonesia. The 2020 Census recorded 513,617 people. By mid-2025, the official estimate reached 549,650 people. This population includes many different ethnic groups and migrants. Many Javanese people moved here through a government transmigration program.

Large-scale development projects have also shaped the province. In 2007, the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) was started. This project aimed to increase Indonesia's food security by using fertile lowlands. It focuses on crops like rice, sugar cane, corn, and oil palm.

The project has faced challenges regarding land rights and the environment. During the presidency of Joko Widodo, the Food Estate project was revived. It designates 200,000 hectares of land on Papua Island for corn and rice. These activities continue to change the landscape and the local ecosystems.