About 75 percent of the land are covered by tropical forest, the northern part of the province is separated from the southern part by a massive chain of mountains known as Pegunungan Maoke. This is one of the worlds highest groups of mountains with the highest peaks in Indonesia, Puncak Jaya (4.884 m), Puncak Mandala (4.640m) and Puncak Trikora (4.730m) to mention a few. The Puncak Jaya massif has four glaciers, even if it is only 4 degrees south of equator. It was formerly known as Mount Carstensz after a Dutch explorer who came there as the first European in 1623, among climbers it is best known as Carstensz Pyramid. The summit was first reached in 1962 by the Austrian climber Heinrich Harrer and his team.

People and Religion:

There are about two million people living in this region, most of the inland population are original Papuans, while the coastal population also has a large number of Malay (Indonesians). The natives on Irian Jaya is clearly different from the rest of Indonesia, with black skin and curly hair. The first immigrants probably came from west about 60.000 years ago when the ocean between Australia and New Guinea were considerably smaller. Later these two regions were completely separated, and the population here developed differently from the Australian aborigines. The different tribes were scattered around the land and had little contact, due to this they developed a large number of languages and dialects.

The main religion is Christianity, of course blended with some traditional beliefs and customs. With the large population who have moved here from other regions of Indonesia, Islam is a growing religion in the coastal areas.

Economy:

Irian Jaya is the least developed province in the country, a majority of the population are occupied with agriculture, fishing and hunting. Major industries are exploration for oil and gas, timber, fishing and mining. The largest deposit of copper in the world is found here.

Art and culture:

Festivals and ceremonies are held frequently, but very few are announced so you need a little bit of luck to see one. January is the time for the "Irian Jaya Tourism Week" when cultures from all over the island are on display in different cities, there are also some arrangements for visitors at other times of the year. The culture here are as diverse as there are tribes and languages and something really unique.