Capital and largest city of Papua, Indonesia
About Jayapura
Jayapura is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Papua on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on the northern coast of the island and covers an area of 835.48 km2 (322.58 sq mi). The city borders the Pacific Ocean and Yos Sudarso Bay to the north, the country of Papua New Guinea to the east, Keerom Regency to the south, and Jayapura Regency to the west.
Etymology
Jayapura is Sanskrit for "city of victory" (जय jaya: "victory"; पुर pura: "city") and was named by Suharto as part of the de-Sukarnoization. Nowadays, there are calls from some citizens, government officials and academicians, to rename the city to better reflect the locals like the naming of Youtefa Bridge. Some suggestions include Kota Tabi as the city is in the customary region of Tabi, Port Numbay, or just Numbay as "Port" is English and not a native word. The word "Numbay" comes from the river Numbay which flows to the city. It has the meaning "clear water" while "Tabi" means "sunrise" in the local Kayo Pulau language. During the Dutch colonial era the city was called Hollandia, based on the Holland region. In 1945, the Dutch made Hollandia the capital of then Netherlands New Guinea. …
History
Before its inclusion into the colonial government of the Dutch Indies, the location of present-day Jayapura was known as Numbay. Before the arrival of the Dutch there was an active trade in Numbay, centered on the Island of Metui Debi and the area where the former Gereja Pengharapan ("Church of the Favor of God") stood on Sam Ratulangi Road, being most active between 1897 and 1905. The mode of the trade was through barter for spices, cassava, salted fish and bird-of-paradise. The society of Numbay, or Tabi in general, was led by an ondoafi (chief of the tribe). By 1849, the Numbay region was a tributary of the Tidore Sultanate. On 28 September 1909, a detachment of the Dutch navy under Captain F.J.P. Sachse came ashore at Humboldt Bay near the mouth of the Numbay river. …
Geography and climate
The topography of Jayapura varies from valleys to hills, plateaus, and mountains up to 700 metres (2,300 ft) above sea level. Jayapura overlooks the Yos Sudarso Bay. Jayapura is about 83,548 hectares (206,450 acres) in land area, and is divided into five districts. Around 30% of the area is inhabited, with the remainder consisting of a rough terrain, swamps, and protected forest. The district of Muara Tami, which covers the eastern half (52.4%) of the city's area, up to the national border with Papua New Guinea, is relatively unpopulated with only 4.6% of the population, and serves as an outlet for the Tami River ("Muara Tami" means "mouth of the Tami") and other rivers originating in Keerom Regency to the south and emptying into the Pacific to the north. …
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