During the Megawati Sukarnoputri administration in 2001, aside from changing the province name from "Irian Jaya" to "Papua", Papua gained a "Special Autonomy" status, an attempted political compromise between Papuans and the central government that has weak support within the Jakarta government.

Prior to 2003, the province (known as Irian Barat from 1962 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 …

West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat), formerly Irian Jaya Barat (West Irian), is an Indonesian province located in Indonesia Papua. It covers most of the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea: the eastern half of the Bird's Head Peninsula (or Doberai Peninsula) and the whole of the Bomberai Peninsula, along with nearby smaller islands.

Provinsi Papua sebelumnya bernama Irian Barat (1956 – 1973) dan Irian Jaya (1973 – 2000) yang mencakup seluruh Tanah Papua bekas Keresidenan Nugini Barat. Ibu kota Papua berada di Kota Jayapura, yang berbatasan langsung dengan negara Papua Nugini.

Oct 8, 2021 · Berdasarkan UU No. 21 Tahun 2001, diamanatkan nama provinsi Irian Jaya diganti menjadi Papua. Masuk tahun 2003, muncul berbagai protes mengenai penggabungan Papua Tengah dan Papua Timur.

Mar 9, 2025 · In 1999 then president of Indonesia B.J. Habibie divided the area into three provinces: Irian Jaya, Central Irian Jaya, and West Irian Jaya. Largely perceived as a “divide-and-rule” maneuver, the partition met with strong local opposition and consequently was annulled the following year by Habibie’s successor, Abdurrahman Wahid.

Papua (Kode ISO: ID-PP, sebelumnya Irian Barat atau Irian Jaya), atau kadang Papua Barat atau Nugini Barat untuk membedakan dengan Papua Nugini, merupakan wilayah Republik Indonesia yang terletak pada bagian barat dari Pulau Papua.

So unlike any other part of Indonesia, the province formerly known as Irian Jaya can feel like a different country – which is what many Papuans, who are Melanesian and ethnically distinct from other Indonesians, would prefer it to be.

Papua, also known as Western New Guinea and formerly Irian Jaya, is the easternmost part of Indonesia. It comprises the western half of the island of New Guinea, the world's largest and highest tropical island, while the eastern half is the independent country of Papua New Guinea.

While the western half became part of Indonesia in 1969. And was known initially as Irian Barat (West Irian) and then Irian Jaya (Glorious Irian). But it is now generally known as West Papua. Understanding West Papua – Biodiversity! Map of West Papua showing its two provinces