Merauke Regency

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Wikipedia

Merauke Regency
Kabupaten Merauke
Regency
From top-left clockwise; Sabang-Merauke Monument, Brawijaya Circle Monument at Night, Indonesia Time Capsule Monument, Act of Free Choice Monument.
From top-left clockwise; Sabang-Merauke Monument, Brawijaya Circle Monument at Night, Indonesia Time Capsule Monument, Act of Free Choice Monument.
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Izakod Bekai Izakod Kai
(One Heart, One Goal)
Merauke Regency is located in Western New Guinea
Merauke Regency
Merauke Regency
Merauke Regency is located in Indonesia
Merauke Regency
Merauke Regency
Merauke Regency (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 7°40′00″S 139°40′00″E / 7.6667°S 139.6667°E / -7.6667; 139.6667
Country Indonesia
ProvinceSouth Papua
Regency seatMerauke
Government
 • RegentYospeh Bladib Gebze [id] (Indp.)
 • Vice RegentFauzan Nihayah [id]
 • LegislatureMerauke Regency House of Representatives
Area
 • Total
45,013.35 km2 (17,379.75 sq mi)
Population
 (mid 2025 estimate)[1]
 • Total
255,168
 • Density5.66872/km2 (14.6819/sq mi)
Demographics
[2]
 • ReligionChristianity 58,41%
–Catholicism 39,65%
–Protestantism 18,76%
Islam 41,17%
Hinduism 0,27%
Buddhism 0,15%
Time zoneUTC+9 (Indonesia Eastern Time)
Area code(+62) 971
Websitemerauke.go.id

Merauke Regency is a regency in the far south of the Indonesian province of South Papua. It covers an area of 45,013.35 km2, and had a population of 195,716 at the 2010 Census[3] and 230,932 at the 2020 Census;[4] the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 255,168, comprising 132,601 males and 122,567 females.[1] The administrative centre is the town of Merauke; the town was projected since 2013 to become an independent city (kota) separate from Merauke Regency, but the alteration has been deferred subsequently by the Indonesian Government's moratorium on the creation of new cities and regencies. It is also the provincial capital of the province of South Papua, although this is to be moved to a specially-built new location in Salor located in Kurik District to the northwest of Merauke. Merauke is the largest regency in Indonesia, with an area of 45,013.35 km2, slightly larger than Estonia.

History

Until 2002, the regency covered a much wider area of southern Papua, but much of the area was split off on 12 November 2002 to form the new Regencies of Asmat, Mappi and Boven Digoel. The four regencies were in 2022 re-grouped to form the new South Papua Province.

Demographics

Ethnicity

Several of the ethnic groups originating from Merauke are the Marind (or also called the Marind-Anim) and the Sohoers.[5] There are various sub-clans of the Marind people, such as Kaize, Gebze, Balagaize, Mahuze, Ndiken, and Basik-Basik. Apart from that, there is also half of the population of Merauke who are Merauke Javanese people, transmigrants from the Dutch colonial period who came from Java.[6]

In Dutch colonial period, the local residents lived side by side with the Dutch government employees. After the Western New Guinea integration with Indonesia, the development of the regency then followed by a population increase coming from various regions in the country. As of 2010 Indonesian census male population data, the population of indigenous Papuans in Merauke Regency is 37,731 (36.60%), while non-native Papuans is 65,347 (63.40%).[7][8]

Religion

Al-Aqsha Grand Mosque in Merauke

A 2021 data from Central Agency on Statistics of Merauke Regency indicates that the majority of Merauke Regency population adheres to Christianity (52.84%). The Catholics makes up the majority of them (36.61%) and the remainings are Protestants (16.23%). Another significant religions in the regency is Islam (46.56%), followed by Buddhism (0.44%) and Hindu (0.16%).[9]

Administrative districts

Merauke Regency office

At the 2020 Census, Merauke Regency comprised twenty districts (distrik), listed below with their areas and populations at the 2010 Census[3] and the 2020 Census,[4] together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.[1] Two additional districts have subsequently been created - Kontuar from part of Waan District, and Padua from parts of Kimaam, Tabonji and Ilyawab Districts) - but their population details for the 2010 and 2020 Censuses are included with the districts from which they were cut out. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totalling 179 rural kampung and 11 urban kelurahan, the latter all in Merauke District) and its post code.

Kode
Wilayah		Name of
District
(distrik)		Area
in
km2		Pop'n
2010
census		Pop'n
2020
census		Pop'n
mid 2024
estimate		Admin
center		No.
of
villages		Post
code
93.01.04Kimaam4,009.985,6056,0245,697Kimaam1399641
93.01.19Waan2,519.034,3643,4132,461Waan699643
93.01.22Kontuar2,405.62(a)(a)1,236Wantarma599643
93.01.17Tabonji2,843.744,9413,8383,167Tabonji799642
93.01.20Ilwayab2,496.204,9413,8562,679Wanam499640
93.01.21Padua1,447.58(b)(b)2,585Padua599640
- 99642
93.01.03Okaba1,812.824,7524,1324,644Okaba999638
93.01.15Tubang1,881.322,1692,6792,611Yowied699639
93.01.16Ngguti2,332.461,8173,6182,626Po Epe699637
93.01.18Kaptel3,446.891,6811,7961,565Kaptel599636
93.01.11Kurik760.7313,16216,23517,223Harapan Makmur1399646
93.01.14Malind549.478,75310,50311,007Kaiburse799647
93.01.13Animha1,917.671,8812,3172,426Wayau599644
93.01.01Merauke
(district)		500.4187,634102,351116,864Merauke (town)(c) 1699604
- 99619
93.01.05Semangga357.9412,81615,81117,190Muram Sari1099631
93.01.06Tanah Miring1,211.8116,77019,96822,164Hidup Baru1499632
93.01.07Jagebob1,369.376,9438,0018,497Kartini1499645
93.01.08Sota2,757.292,8313,4613,717Sota599648
93.01.12Naukenjerai1,770.001,8302,5002,600Onggaya599621
93.01.02Muting3,352.415,0366,0687,286Muting1299634
93.01.10Elikobel1,627.273,7485,1066,132Bupul1299633
93.01.09Ulilin3,643.344,0429,25510,791Kumaaf1199635
Totals45,013.35195,716230,932255,168Merauke190

Note: (a) the population figures for the new Kontuar District are included with those for Waan District, from part of which it was cut out. (b) the population figures for the new Padua District are included with those for Kimaam, Tabonji and Ilwayab Districts, from parts of which it was cut out. (c) containing all of the regency's 11 kelurahan (urban villages) and 5 kampung.

Forests

Much of the area of Merauke Regency is covered by forests. The Wasur National Park forms part of the largest wetland in the regency.

MIFEE (Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate) is a project for use of a big area for industry and also palm oil and food crops agriculture including land grabbing.[10] MIFEE is supported by the national government.[10] There is much indigenous opposition to the MIFEE project.[10] The MIFEE project is expected to cover a 1.2 million hectare area, or a quarter of Merauke.[11] The project threatens conservation areas, such as virgin forests and water catchment areas, as well as the habitat of indigenous peoples in Papua.[12] There were substantial forest fires.[11]

By May 2011, Indonesian government allocated around two million hectares in the regency to 36 national and international corporations for oil palm, timber, and sugarcane enterprises.[13]

Transportation

Port of Merauke

Merauke Regency is equipped by a passenger port, serving Pelni ships, as well as Mopah International Airport serving domestic flights.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Merauke Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.9401)
  2. ↑ "Kabupaten Merauke Dalam Angka 2016". BPS Kabupaten Merauke. Archived from the original on 2017-08-15. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Sejarah Merauke". portal.merauke.go.id. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Mimpi Bupati Merauke Jadikan Wilayahnya Lumbung Pangan Pacific". www.papua.go.id (in Indonesian). Papua Provincial Government. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Jumlah Penduduk menurut Klasifikasi Suku - Provinsi Papua". Central Agency on Statistics, Papua Province. 2010. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Kewarganegaraan Suku Bangsa, Agama dan Bahasa Sehari-hari Penduduk Indonesia" (pdf). Central Agency on Statistics. pp. 36–41. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Kabupaten Merauke Dalam Angka 2021" (pdf). BPS Kabupaten Merauke. pp. 49, 147. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2016-05-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. 1 2 The Jakarta Post. "Food estate project may turn Papua into forest fire hotbed - The Jakarta Post". thejakartapost.com. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  12. ↑ The Jakarta Post. "Govt to revive food estate project in Papua - The Jakarta Post". thejakartapost.com. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Chao, Sophie (2022). In the shadow of the palms : more-than-human becomings in West Papua. Durham. ISBN 978-1-4780-2285-5. OCLC 1309092277.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)