| Indonesia has been independent since 1945, after having been the Dutch East Indies for more than 350 years. It is a huge country, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). Comprised of some 17,000 islands (more than 6000 inhabited islands), it has hundreds of major aids to navigation. This page includes the lighthouses of Indonesian Papua (western New Guinea). The Dutch extended their claim to western New Guinea, the world's second-largest island, in 1828, but they established no major settlements until nearly 1900. West Papua remained under Dutch control until 1963, when it was ceded to Indonesia. The principal towns today are Jayapura (formerly Hollandia) and Manokwari in the north, Sorong at the west end of the island, and Merauke in the south. Most of the Indonesian half of the island is included in Papua Province. West Papua Province includes the oddly-shaped Doberai or Bird's Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula at the northwestern corner of New Guinea. The Indonesian word for a lighthouse is mercusuar. The phrase menara suar, which includes the Arabic word menara, is sometimes used instead. Tanjung and ujung are words for capes, pulau is an island, selat is a strait, karang is a reef, and teluk is a gulf, bay, or harbor. Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Indonesian Directorate of Marine Navigation (Indomarinav). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volumes F and K of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publications 111 and 112.
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![]() Oinake Light, Jayapura Regency, November 2007 Flickr photo copyright Billy Sumuan; used by permission |
Papua Province South Coast (Arafura Sea) Lighthouses
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West Papua Province Lighthouses
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![]() Pulau Kofiau Light, Raja Ampat Islands, Januray 2010 Panoramio photo copyright muhajir3012; used by permission |
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![]() Pulau Boo Besar Light, Raja Ampat Islands, July 2009 Panoramio photo copyright muhajir3012; used by permission |
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Papua Province North Coast Lighthouses
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![]() Jayapura Entrance North Light, Jayapura, March 2007 Flickr photo copyright Ralph Sanderson; used by permission |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Papua New Guinea | West: Maluku
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Posted December 31, 2008. Checked and revised February 12, 2013. Lighthouses: 51. Site copyright 2013 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.