South Papua

South Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when Papua was divided. Extending south of the Maoke Mountains, it is a wide swampy lowland drained by the Digul, Pulau, Brazza, Baliem, Lorentz, Momats, Cemara, and Mapi rivers. It is bounded by Central Papua and Highland Papua to the north, the country of Papua New Guinea to the east, and the Arafura Sea to the south. The capital is Merauke Regency, a coastal district near the border with Papua New Guinea. Area 45,501 square miles (117,849 square km). Pop. (2025 est.) 549,650.

In June 2021 Indonesia revised Papua’s Special Autonomy Law, authorizing the central government to alter provincial boundaries without local consent and reducing the power of representative local government. These changes paved the way for a major restructuring in 2022, when Papua was divided into four provinces: Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua. At the same time, the neighboring West Papua province was split in two: West Papua and Southwest Papua; thus, six provinces now constitute Indonesia’s administrative presence in western New Guinea. The stated aim of the restructuring was to improve local governance and accelerate development, but international observers viewed the move as a strategy to weaken separatist momentum and increase central oversight.