To Know the Difference between West Papua and Papua

West Papua is currently a province in Indonesia, whereas to refer to West Papua as previously referred to, it is easier to just call it Papua. Currently Papua has 6 provinces, namely:

1. Papua Province. It  is a province located on the north coast of Papua Island or to be precise in the easternmost part of Indonesia's Papua region. This province has an area of ​​81,049.30 km² and is the largest and first largest province in Indonesia. Based on 2022 BPS data, the population of Papua Province is 1,000,799 people with a population density of 12/km². It is recorded that the anniversary of this province is usually celebrated on December 27, 1949. 

2. West Papua or also known as West Irian is known to have been established based on Law Number 45 of 1999. Based on Government Regulation Number 24 of 2007 dated April 18 2007, the name of the Province West Irian was changed to West Papua. With the capital city of Manokwari, the area of ​​this province reaches 102,955.15 km². In the 2020 census, West Papua had a population of 1,134,068 people. With a population density of 9.54/km².

3. Papua Mountain Province. Its region includes Jayawijaya Regency, Yahukimo Regency, Tolikara Regency, Bintang Mountains Regency, Yalimo Regency, Lanny Jaya Regency, Central Mamberamo Regency, and Nduga Regency. Papua Mountain Province is recorded as having an area of ​​108,476 km². Even though it was recently inaugurated, this province has a population in 2022 of 1,456,096 people and a population density of 27/km². 

4. South Papua Province is a region resulting from the expansion of Papua Province and currently has its capital in Merauke Regency. This province is in the lowlands which directly borders Papua New Guinea. Quoted from the Indonesia.go,id, the area of ​​South Papua Province is 131,493 km². The population in June 2022 is 511,200 people. 

5. Central Papua Province. The capital of Central Papua Province is currently in Nabire Regency. This province has an area of ​​66,129 km² with a population as of June 2022 of 1,337,837 people with a population density of 22/km². Central Papua Province includes Nabire Regency, Mimika Regency, Puncak Regency, Dogiyai Regency, Puncak Jaya Regency, Paniai Regency, Intan Jaya Regency and Deiyai ​​Regency. 

6. Southwest Papua Province. Inaugurated on December 8 2022, this provincial area includes Sorong City, Sorong Regency, South Sorong Regency, Maybrat Regency, Tambrauw Regency and Raja Ampat Regency. Southwest Papua Province is famous for its beautiful tourism. This region has an area of ​​39,167 km2 with a population as of December 2022 reaching 604,698 and a population density of 15/km².

Source : regional.kompas.com