The Highest And Coldest Cities At West Papua Indonesia
04 October, 2023Share:
The Highest And Coldest Cities At West Papua Indonesia
Mulia City is one of the regions in Central Papua Province which is located at an altitude of 2,448 meters above sea level. It is so high that the city of Mulia is even considered the coldest city in Indonesia.
West Papua, the easternmost region of Indonesia which is so rich in culture and natural wealth contained within it. Meanwhile, for travel enthusiasts, they have a great desire to visit Papua because they want to see firsthand its natural beauty ecosystem. For example, visiting Raja Ampat, a hidden paradise that is world famous. Raja Ampat is even included as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
Not only is its natural wealth, culture, customs and tourist attractions a feast for the eyes. More than that, the hospitality of the Papuan people themselves is highly valued. The West Papuan people highly value brotherhood and respect differences. So if we visit West Papua, the friendly people welcome anyone who visits their area.
Papua is the coldest island in Indonesia
As an archipelagic country, Indonesia is located on the equator, which is astronomically between 6 North Latitude – 11 South Latitude, and 95 East Longitude – 141 East Longitude. Therefore, some areas in Indonesia have quite high levels of rainfall, but other areas experience low rainfall. Apart from that, Indonesia is also located between 2 continents, namely the Australian continent and the Asian continent, which cross the wind direction every six months. That is why Indonesia has alternating rainy and dry seasons.
Mulia City is in Puncak Jaya Regency, Central Papua Province, Indonesia. The city of Mulia is geographically located at an altitude of 2,448 meters above sea level. Mulia City is the only inhabited area whose height is surrounded by the Jaya Wijaya or Puncak Jaya mountains. Of course the Puncak Jaya mountains are no stranger, especially to climbers. Because the Jaya Wijaya mountains are the first highest peak in Indonesia with a height of 4,884 meters above sea level. So, if we lived in Mulia City which is surrounded by the Jaya Wijaya mountains, can you imagine how cold it would be? We can feel cold in the city of Mulia during the day with temperatures reaching 15 degrees Celsius, especially at night up to 9 degrees Celsius.
It’s not just the high temperature that makes Mulia the coldest city in Indonesia. Another fact proves that rainfall also occurs almost every year. Therefore, when visiting the city of Mulia, we rarely find houses made of cement. What’s unique is that most of the people there still use traditional Papuan houses, namely Hanoi. The reason for using Hanoi is apart from preserving local wisdom, Hanoi Houses are also made without windows so that cold air cannot easily enter, especially at night. Meanwhile, buildings that use cement are only seen in offices such as village offices, health centers, schools and other social service buildings.
Five Highest Mountains in Papua
Indonesia is one of the Asian countries that has many mountains, both active and not. The average height of mountains in Indonesia ranges from 2000 meters above sea level to above 4000 meters above sea level. This is what causes some mountains in Indonesia to frequently erupt. Indonesia is also crossed by two volcanic mountain ranges, including the Mediterranean circumference and the Pacific circumference. Then, Indonesia is located at the meeting point of three earth plates, namely the Eurasian, Pacific and Indo-Australian plates.
What about the highest mountain in Indonesia? For climbers, to conquer the highest mountains in Indonesia of course the main goal is Papua. Because of the 10 mountains in Indonesia, the 5 mountains in the Papua Islands are the highest, respectively, with a height of 4000 meters above sea level.
First, Puncak Jaya or another name for Cartensz Pyramid which is located in Mimika Regency. Puncak Jaya is the highest mountain in Indonesia with a height of 4,884 meters above sea level. Puncak Jaya is also included as a World Heritage Site area by UNESCO because it is included in the list of the 7 highest mountain peaks from the seven continents in the world.
The second highest mountain is Mandala Peak in the Bintang Mountains Regency, Central Papua Province with a height of 4,760 meters above sea level, then Trikora Peak 4,750 meters above sea level in Tagineri, Jaya Wijaya Regency, Valentiyn Peak in Yahukimo Regency with an altitude of 4,453 meters above sea level, and Hens Mountain 4,061 in the Beoga area, Puncak Regency.
The location of Mulia City in a mountainous area makes this area difficult to reach. There are only two vehicles that can be used to reach Kota Mulia, namely the air route by caravan from Jayapura and the land route by jeep for 16 hours.
Even though it is located in the easternmost region of Indonesia, Mulia City is not an area that is left behind, let alone isolated. Infrastructure in Kota Mulia has received special attention from the government. Roads in Mulia City have been paved, public facilities such as places of worship, schools have also been completed.