Map of Papua
Papua is a first-level division of Indonesia. Its largest mapped city is Jayapura, with about 169,341 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Papua, and the tables list its 5 mapped cities along with the mountains, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 5
- Largest City
- Jayapura
- Country
- Indonesia
- Highest Point Mapped
- 4,884 m
Interactive Map of Papua
About Papua
Papua, formerly known as West Irian and Irian Jaya, is a province of Indonesia, comprising the northern coast of Western New Guinea together with island groups in Cenderawasih Bay to the west. It roughly follows the borders of the Papuan customary region of Mamta – Saireri and is divided into eight regencies (kabupaten) and one city (kota), the latter being the provincial capital of Jayapura.
It is bordered by the nation of Papua New Guinea to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the north, Cenderawasih Bay to the west, and the provinces of Central Papua and Highland Papua to the south. The province also shares maritime boundaries with Palau in the Pacific. Papua, along with the five other Papuan provinces, has a higher degree of autonomy compared to other Indonesian provinces.
Before 2003, the province (known as Irian Barat from 1963 to 1973 and Irian Jaya from 1973 to 2002) covered the entirety of Western New Guinea, a region also known as "Papua". In 2002, Papua adopted its current name and was granted a special autonomous status under Indonesian legislation. In 2001, the western end of the province was split off into a new province of West Papua, and in July 2022 the provinces of Central Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua were also split off, leaving the current province covering a much smaller northern area around Jayapura, the northern part of the former province, and the islands in the Cenderawasih Bay.
The official estimate of the population in mid-2025 of the province within its current borders was 1,073,640 (comprising 560,920 males and 512,720 females), increasing at about 1.31% per year.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Papua (province) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Papua in Depth
Geography
The province of Papua is located between 2 ° 25' – 9 ° S and 130 ° – 141 ° East. The total area of Papua is now 82,680.95 km2 (31,923.29 sq mi). Until its division in 2022 into four provinces, Papua province was the province that had the largest area in Indonesia, with a total area of 312,816.35 km2, or 19.33% of the total area of the Indonesian archipelago. The boundaries of Papua are: the Pacific Ocean (north), Highland Papua (south), Central Papua (Southwest), and Papua New Guinea (east).
Demographics
While the Papuan branch of the Central Agency on Statistics had earlier projected the 2020 population of the province (as constituted at that time) to be 3,435,430 people the actual census in 2020 revealed a total population of 4,303,707, of which the majority were Christian. The official estimate for mid-2022 was 4,418,581 before the division of the province into four separate provinces, spread throughout 28 regencies and one administrative city.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Papua (province) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Papua: Key Facts
| Population | 4,542,600 (2024) |
|---|---|
| Area | 82,681 km² |
| Capital | Jayapura |
| Head of government | Lukas Enembe |
| Established | 16 August 1956 |
Facts from Wikidata Q5095 (CC0).
History of Papua: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Papua, from Dutch East Indies in 1873 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Dutch East Indies | 1873–1949 CE |
| Netherlands | 1873–1949 CE |
| Republic of Indonesia | 1950–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Papua
Papua on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Papua
5 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jayapura | 169,341 | Papua | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Biak | 103,610 | Papua | Populated place |
| 3 | Nabire | 43,898 | Papua | Populated place |
| 4 | Merauke | 34,412 | Papua | Populated place |
| 5 | Timika | 26,021 | Papua | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Papua
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puncak Jaya | 4,884 m | 16,024 ft | Oceania |
Ports in Papua
5 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jayapura | 53 m | Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | medium vessels |
| 2 | Merauke | 49.4 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | medium vessels |
| 3 | Amamapare | 45.7 m | Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | large vessels |
| 4 | Serui | 34.7 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | large vessels |
| 5 | Miei | 5.5 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | point_of_interest |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Papua
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorentz National Park | 1999 | Natural | (viii) (ix) (x) |
Papua: Quick Answers
- Where is Papua?
- Papua is a first-level division of Indonesia, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 4.0178° S, 137.9106° E.
- What is the largest city in Papua?
- Jayapura is the largest city mapped in Papua, with a metropolitan population of about 169,341.
- How many cities are in Papua?
- YearMaps maps 5 cities and towns in Papua, with a combined metropolitan population of about 377,282. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Papua?
- The highest summit mapped in Papua is Puncak Jaya at 4,884 m.