The Lorentz River (also Unir or Undir in Indonesian, or Noordrivier in Dutch) is located in the
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n province of
South Papua
South Papua, officially the South Papua Province ( id, Provinsi Papua Selatan), is an Indonesian province located in the southern portion of Papua, following the borders of Papuan customary region of Anim Ha. Formally established on 11 November 2 ...
in
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 ...
, about 3,500 km northeast of the Indonesian capital
Jakarta.
Sungai Lorentz
at Geonames.org (cc-by); Last updated 2013-06-04; Database dump downloaded 2015-11-27 It originates in the central east-west mountain range of New Guinea, and flows southwards into 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 S ...
at Flamingo Bay. During the first two Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
expeditions to Southern New Guinea (1907–10) it was called ''Northern River''. In 1910 it was renamed after the Dutch explorer Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz. After it became part of Indonesia, it was renamed to Unir, as in the language of the local Asmat people
The Asmat are an ethnic group of New Guinea, residing in the province of South Papua, Indonesia. The Asmat inhabit a region on the island's southwestern coast bordering the Arafura Sea, with lands totaling approximately 18,000 km2 (7,336&nb ...
, while the Lorentz name is still in use.
History
At the beginning of the 20th century the navigable part of the river played an important role in the exploration of Dutch New Guinea
Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingd ...
in 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 ...
. Three large Dutch expeditions led from the mouth upstream to the central snow-capped mountains, which were still unexplored. The aim of the expeditions was to cover the Wilhelmina summit (now called ''Puncak Trikora'' ) covered by "eternal snow" . The first of the three South New Guinea expeditions failed before the mountain could be reached. The second expedition reached the snow-capped foot of Wilhelmina, but it was only during the third expedition that the mountain could be conquered on 21 February 1913.
Geography
The river flows in the southwest area of Papua with predominantly tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
(designated as ''Af'' in the Köppen-Geiger climate classification).
See also
*List of rivers of Indonesia
This is a list of rivers in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sul ...
*List of rivers of Western New Guinea
This is a partial list of rivers of Western New Guinea in Indonesia.''Map of Indonesia''. Peta Indonesia. Wawasan Nusantara. CV. Indo Prima Sarana. Accessed 29 Juli 2017.
In alphabetical order
By mouth location
From west to east:
North coast ...
References
External links
Map and pictures of Lorentz River
from The Papua Insects Foundation.
{{coord, 5, 32, 32, S, 138, 02, 36, E, region:ID-PA_type:waterbody_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title
Rivers of Papua (province)
Rivers of Indonesia