TOPOGRAPHY IRIAN JAYA
Irian Jaya's topography consists of tidal lowlands in the coastal areas
and mountainous regions covered by
endless carpets of solid rain forests, spectacular grasslands, and wild
sugarcane-covered valleys. Meandering rivers wind through this verdant
countryside in oxbow patterns, emptying into azure seas ringed by
coral-lagooned coastlines. In the central
part of the province a cloud-piercing rugged mountain range extends 650 km (406
miles) and divides the province into north and south. The most spectacular of these mountains are the
Kaimana Mountains near Fak-Fak, the Arfak Mountains near Manokwari, the
Cyclops Mountains of Jayapura, and the Jayawijaya range in the district of the
same name.
Despite their proximity to the equator, three of the
highest peaks of the Jayawijaya range, Jayawijaya at 5,030 m (15,090 ft), Trikora at
5,160 m (15,480 ft), and Yamin
at 5,100 m (15,300 ft) are eternally covered with snow. (There are only two other places in the world with a tropical climate and snowcapped
mountains: Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Andes in South America.)
Also in the heart of the Jayawijaya range lies the spectacular
Baliem Valley. It is actually a high plateau, 20 km (12.40 miles) wide
and 60 km (37.20 miles) long, and at 1,550 m (4,650 ft) above sea level,
it has a wonderfully cool
climate.
Large rivers and their tributaries flovk,
through the province toward the northern and Southern seas. The Digul
River emerges from the interior of the Merauke district and drains into the
Arafura Sea along with the Bian, Kumbe, Abais, and Maro rivers. The Warenai and
Wagona rivers, as well as the Memberamo River, which traverses the
districts of Jayawijaya, Paniai, and Jayapura, end up in the Pacific
Ocean.
FLORA AND FAUNA
The flora and fauna of Irian Jaya are unique.
The wildlife is strange and diverse, much of it cannot be found anywhere else
in Indonesia.
Some of the animals
are similar to those in Australia, such as the wallaby (Macropus), the pocket squirrel, (Petaurus), and the cuscus (Pbalanger).
There are about 650 species
of birds in Irian Jaya, of which 454 are indigenous. Among these are the spectacular bird of paradise (Paradise spoda), the exotic blue mambruk (
Gonravictorial), and the flightless cassowary (Kasuarius), which is related to the Australian emu.
Irian
Jaya has the richest concentration of plant life in Indonesia, and many plants are
medicinal. There are more than 2,500 species of orchids alone, including the giant Rafflesia arnoldli(Amorpbopballus).
Some of the
flora and fauna can be seen at wildlife preserves in several provinces of Irian Jaya.
