 MAP OF SOUTH COAST From Etna Bay Kamoro-land stretches eastward past Timika, and northward to the foothills of the Sudiman Range |
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The Island of New Guinea is divided by an international boundary. To the east, lies the independent country of Papua New Guinea. To the west spreads the Indonesian province of Papua. All the native inhabitants of the island are called Papuans. Papua is the easternmost province of Indonesia and was formerly known as Dutch West New Guinea and Irian Jaya. It shares the same island of New Guinea with the independent country Papua New Guinea.
The island of New Guinea is the second largest island in the world after Greenland and was formed by dramatic tectonic plate movements during the last ice age. These created the central mountain range that stretches 2,000 km from west to east. Out of that, 600 km lie within Papua. which boasts the world’s only Its highest peak called Punchak Jaya or Nemangkawi Ninggok in the Amungme language stands at 4,88m. Unfortunately the glaciers on this mountain are fast disappearing due to global warming.
This steep alpine mountain range descends sharply into montane forests carved out by narrow gorges and rushing rivers. In the lowlands where the tropical rainforest begins, the rivers slowly begin to widen as they meander in endless ox-bows through mangrove swamps before turning into a maze of mysterious waterways that form the many estuaries of the coastline.
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| Ox-Bow rivers |
Papua is veritable treasure house of animal and plant diversity, much of which is found nowhere else on earth. While the lowland flora and fauna have many similarities with the plants of south-east Asia and the animals of Australia, the highlands concentrate unique varieties which have evolved due to its isolation. Even today, new species are continually being discovered not only in the highlands but the lowlands as well.
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| Crowned Pidgeon (left), Bird of Paradise (right) |
On the south coast of this island bordering the Arafura Sea, Kamoro villages are spread along the coast till the Sempan and Asmat areas further east. More villages are scattered inland along waterways across the mangrove and into the tropical rainforests.
