Central Papua

Central 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. The province stretches from the northern coast along Cenderawasih Bay into the interior highlands and encompasses most of the Sudirman Mountains, the western section of the Maoke Range. Within these mountains rises Jaya Peak (16,024 feet [4,884 meters]), the highest mountain in the southwestern Pacific and the highest island peak in the world. Central Papua is bounded by Papua to the northeast, Highland Papua and South Papua to the east, and West Papua to the west; it faces the Pacific to the north and the Arafura Sea to the south. The capital is Nabire (the seat of Nabire Regency), a coastal town on Cenderawasih Bay. Area 23,580 square miles (61,073 square km). Pop. (2025 est.) 1,492,280.

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.