Bomberai Peninsula
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Bomberai Peninsula ( id, Semenanjung Bomberai), otherwise known as the Bird's Beak Peninsula ( id, Semenanjung Paruh Burung), is located in the
Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...
region, opposite to and to the south of the
Bird's Head Peninsula The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: ''Kepala Burung'', nl, Vogelkop) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai''), is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces o ...
. To the west lies the Sebakor Bay and to the south Kamrau Bay. Sabuda island lies off the western tip of the peninsula, and is separated from the mainland by Berau and Bintuni straits.


Geography

The entire peninsula is covered by a dense
tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...
, and most of the peninsula consists of a marshy plain. Together with the eastern region of Bird's Head Peninsula and offshore islands, the Bomberai Peninsula forms the Indonesian province of West Papua ( id, Papua Barat). The western part of the peninsula is part of
Fakfak Regency Fakfak Regency - formerly spelt "Fak-Fak" - is a regency of West Papua province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 14,320 km2, and had a population of 66,828 at the 2010 Census and 87,894 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre is the t ...
, the north belongs to
Teluk Bintuni Regency Teluk Bintuni Regency (or Bintuni Bay Regency) is a regency of West Papua Province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 18,637 km2, comprising administrative districts on three sides of Bintuni Bay, a gulf that separates the Bird's Head Peninsula ...
and the southeast to
Kaimana Regency Kaimana Regency is a regency in the south of West Papua province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 18,500 sq. km, and had a population of 46,249 at the 2010 Census and 62,256 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre is the town of Kaima ...
. It is a wide peninsula that opens to the
Ceram Sea The Seram Sea or Ceram Sea ( id, Laut Seram) is one of several small seas between the scattered islands of Indonesia. It is a section of the Pacific Ocean with an area of approximately located between Buru and Seram, which are two of the isla ...
, forming a wide bay, Sebakor Bay, defined by two small peninsulas: *to the northwest, the peninsula of Onin part of
Fakfak Regency Fakfak Regency - formerly spelt "Fak-Fak" - is a regency of West Papua province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 14,320 km2, and had a population of 66,828 at the 2010 Census and 87,894 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre is the t ...
, includes
Fakfak Fakfak () is a town in West Papua and seat of the Fakfak Regency. It had a population of 12,566 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 18,900 at the 2020 Census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. It is served by Fakfak Airport. It is the only town i ...
, the main town and port of the region. It is covered by a mountain range which reaches 1619 m (5312 ft) altitude. Due to the facilities offered by the town of Fakfak, this part of the Bomberai Peninsula is the most visited. *to the southeast is the peninsula formed by the Kumafa Mountains, whose south coast is bathed by the
Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura Sea is ...
. It is a region little explored by europeans tourists and almost unknown to them. The region is historically called Sran and later Kowiai after the people and kingdom and the southern coast is part of
Kaimana Regency Kaimana Regency is a regency in the south of West Papua province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 18,500 sq. km, and had a population of 46,249 at the 2010 Census and 62,256 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre is the town of Kaima ...
and its main town and port
Kaimana Kaimana is a small port town in West Papua, Indonesia and capital of the Kaimana Regency. It had a population of 13,613 at the 2010 Census. In March 2007, the Indonesian Navy conducted a training exercise off the coast of Kaimana in Kaimana Ba ...
. To the north lie
Berau Bay The Berau Gulf ( id, Teluk Berau), formerly the MacCleur Gulf, separates the Vogelkop (Doberai) and Bomberai Peninsulas of Western New Guinea. It opens on the Ceram Sea to the west and ends in Bintuni Bay to the east. Geography Berau Bay is for ...
and
Bintuni Bay Bintuni Bay ( id, Teluk Bintuni) is the eastward extension or inner bay of Berau Gulf off Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island wi ...
, which separate the Bomberai Peninsula from the Bird's Head peninsula. Off the north coast are located the islands of Amutu Besar, Asap, Arguni and Ugar. Opposite is the island of Panjang in Tamaruni Bay.Der große Weltatlas, Millenium House, 2009, . Further south are Samai Island and Sebakor Bay, which is protected from the offshore island of Karas by the Tamaruni Bay. Southeast beyond the Nautilus Strait ( id, Selat Nautilus) is the island of
Adi Adi or ADI may refer to: Names and titles * Adi (mythology), an Asura in Hindu faith who appears in the Matsya Purāṇa * Adi (name), a given name in Hebrew and a nickname in other languages * Adi (title), a Fijian title used by females of chi ...
. In the east, Kamrau Bay separates the peninsula from the rest of New Guinea. At its northernmost point lies the island of Freterenusu in the bay. Only narrow land bridges connect the Bomberai peninsula with the neighboring land masses.


History

There were trading relationships that formed based on birds of paradise feathers with 7th century Sriwijaya and the surrounding islands. There was a mention of "Wanin" and "Sran" in a 14th-century Nagarakretagama manuscript as a region/tributary of Majapahit. Scholars tends to attribute this to Onin Peninsula and the southern region of Sran or Kowiai referring to the kingdom of Namatota, which if true represent the earliest mention of a native names of Papuan regions. The first sighting by Europeans of this zone was in 1606, in the Spanish expedition commanded by
Luís Vaz de Torres Luís Vaz de Torres ( Galician and Portuguese), or Luis Váez de Torres in the Spanish spelling (born c. 1565; fl. 1607), was a 16th- and 17th-century maritime explorer of a Spanish expedition noted for the first recorded European navigation of ...
. This region alongside others mainly the Western part of New Guinea became part of
Sultanate of Tidore The Sultanate of Tidore ( Indonesian: كسلطانن تيدوري, ''Kesultanan Tidore'', sometimes ''Kerajaan Tidore'') was a sultanate in Southeast Asia, centered on Tidore in the Maluku Islands (presently in North Maluku Province). It was also k ...
under the expansion of its influence led by the legendary figure
Gurabesi Gurabesi was a legendary Papuan leader from Biak in West New Guinea, present-day Indonesia, who had a large role in tying part of the Papuans to the Islamic Sultanate of Tidore. He is commonly believed to have flourished in the 15th or early 16th ...
. The Dutch constructed
Fort Du Bus Fort Du Bus was a Dutch administrative and trading post established in 1828 on Triton Bay on the southwest coast of New Guinea, in the current Indonesian regency of Kaimana, West Papua. Intended to counter British encroachment, it was the first ...
in 1828 on Triton Bay in the current
Kaimana Regency Kaimana Regency is a regency in the south of West Papua province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 18,500 sq. km, and had a population of 46,249 at the 2010 Census and 62,256 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre is the town of Kaima ...
and formalised Tidore rule over this region (and Tidore's protectorate status under Netherlands) by appointing three local rulers Sendawan (King of Namatota), Kassa (King of Lahakia) and Lutu ("Orang Kaya" from Lobo and Mawara) under which many local kingdoms and tribes swear fealty. However the Fort was abandoned in 1835 due to the unhealthy climate and attacks by natives, and the Dutch generally left the rule and collection of taxes of these region under Tidore, which in turn delegated them to regional rulers, like
Misool Misool, formerly spelled Mysol (Dutch: Misoöl) or Misol, is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Its area is 2,034 km2. The highest point is 561 m and the main towns are Waigama, located ...
which collected tributes from Onin kingdoms. The Dutch colonial authorities began to govern more directly late 19th century with the ending of hongi fleets and slave trading of Tidore in 1850, followed by the agreement on 1872 with Tidore which made the Sultan explicit only had right on feudal matters, and the sovereignity if New Guinea rest in Dutch East Indies government, in practice allowed them to establish administrations in New Guinea. In 1898 the Netherlands Indies government decided to establish administrative posts in
Fakfak Fakfak () is a town in West Papua and seat of the Fakfak Regency. It had a population of 12,566 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 18,900 at the 2020 Census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. It is served by Fakfak Airport. It is the only town i ...
and
Manokwari Manokwari is a coastal town and the capital of the Indonesian province of West Papua. It is one of only seven provincial capitals of Indonesia without a city status. It is also the administrative seat of Manokwari Regency. However, under pro ...
, followed by
Merauke Merauke is a large town and the capital of the South Papua province, Indonesia. It is also the administrative centre of Merauke Regency in South Papua. It is considered the easternmost city in Indonesia. The town was originally called Ermasoe. It ...
in 1902. Tidore throne became vacant in 1905 and the lack of ruler diminished its autonomy. By 1909 Tidore signed away its independence and in 1910 Bacan and Tidore signed contract invalidating all their previous contracts and its region became part of Dutch East Indies, although still retained some jurisdiction in New Guinea until 1911 where further legislation was enacted to curtail it.


Languages

There are several Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages spoken on the Bomberai Peninsula, including Uruangnirin, Onin,
Sekar Manokaris a male given name in India. Sekar may refer to: *Sekar Ayu Asmara, Indonesian songwriter and director * Sekar Ayyanthole (born 1954), Indian painter *Sekhar Basu (born 1952), Indian scientist * Sekhar Das (born 1954), Indian film director ...
, Arguni, Bedoanas, Erokwanas, Irarutu, and Kowiai.
Language isolates Language isolates are languages that cannot be classified into larger language families. Korean and Basque are two of the most common examples. Other language isolates include Ainu in Asia, Sandawe in Africa, and Haida in North America. The numbe ...
spoken in the Bomberai Peninsula are Mor and Tanah Merah. The West Bomberai languages Baham and Iha are also spoken on the peninsula, as well as the Asmat-Kamoro languages Buruwai and Kamberau, and the
South Bird's Head The South Bird's Head or South Doberai languages are three families of Papuan languages. They form part of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classifications of Malcolm Ross (2005) and Timothy Usher (2020), though Pawley and Hammarström (2 ...
language Kemberano. The
Timor–Alor–Pantar languages The Timor–Alor–Pantar (TAP) languages are a family of Papuan (non-Austronesian) languages spoken in Timor, Kisar, and the Alor archipelago in Southern Indonesia. Holton and Klamer (2018) classify Timor–Alor–Pantar as an independent la ...
may possibly have lexical links with the West Bomberai languages, although this proposal is not without controversy. Karas, a
West Bomberai The West Bomberai languages are a family of Papuan languages spoken on the Bomberai Peninsula of western New Guinea and in East Timor and neighboring islands of Indonesia. Languages Two of the languages of the mainland, Baham and Iha, are clo ...
language, is spoken on Karas Island, a small island located just off the western coast of the Bomberai Peninsula.


Fauna

Twenty-four endemic species of rainbow fish (''
Melanotaenia ''Melanotaenia'' is a genus of rainbowfish from Australia, Indonesia (West Papua), New Guinea, and nearby smaller islands. Species There are currently 86 recognized species in this genus: * '' Melanotaenia affinis'' ( M. C. W. Weber, 1908) (Ne ...
'') live on the
Bird's Head Peninsula The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: ''Kepala Burung'', nl, Vogelkop) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai''), is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces o ...
, Bomberai Peninsula and offshore islands. Many live in the
karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
areas, including the Harlequin Rainbow Fish ('' Melanotaenia boesemani'').Nugraha, M.F.I., Kadarusman, Hubert, N., Avarre, J.C., Hadiaty, R.K., Slembrouck, J., Carman, O., Sudarto, Ogistira, R. & Pouyaud L. (2015): ''Eight new species of Rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from the Birds Head Region, West Papua, Indonesia.'' Cybium, 39 (2): 99-130. Fauna of the
Fakfak Mountains Fakfak Mountains ( id, Pegunungan Fakfak) are located on Bomberai Peninsula to the north of Fakfak in West Papua province, Indonesia. Geography Topography includes the following top elevations in Fakfak Mountains: *''Baham'' at 613 m (coord ...
includes the
black-eared catbird The black-eared catbird (''Ailuroedus melanotis'') is a species of bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchidae) which can be found northern Queensland and New Guinea, including its surrounding islands. They are named after their cat-like wails and black ear ...
and ''
Oninia senglaubi ''Oninia'' is a genus of frogs belonging to the family Microhylidae. The species of this genus are found in New Guinea. Species Species: * ''Oninia senglaubi'' Günther, Stelbrink & von Rintelen, 2010 References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q185878 ...
'', a member of the family of the narrow-mouthed frogs (
Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylo ...
).Darrel R. Frost
''Oninia senglaubi''
Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference, Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York 1998–2015, retrieved 21 December 2015


See also

*


References

{{Reflist Peninsulas of Indonesia Landforms of Western New Guinea Landforms of West Papua (province)