The differences between West Papua and Papua New Guinea are quite diverse. Although both regions share similarities in ethnicity, their histories and languages are different. West Papua and Papua New Guinea are located on the island of New Guinea and are only separated by the border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. West Papua is a provinces in Indonesia and is located in the western part of the island of New Guinea.  So, what are the differences between West Papua and Papua New Guinea?

The Division of Papua Island by the Dutch and British

On May 16, 1895, the colonial governments of the Netherlands and Britain agreed to divide the territory of Papua, as outlined in the Staatsblad van Nederlandsch-Indie 1985 Number 220 and 2021 documents. The western part (West Papua) became the property of the Netherlands, while the eastern part (Papua New Guinea) was handed over to Britain. This agreement was aimed at expelling German control in the Northeast of Papua.

Independence

West Papua became part of Indonesia after Indonesia declared independence on August 17, 1945. Indonesia’s territory at the time of independence included former Dutch colonial territories from Aceh to West Papua. However, West Papua officially joined Indonesia on May 1, 1963, after the Dutch government officially handed over West Papua to Indonesia through a UN agreement in New York. Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, gained its independence on September 16, 1975. On that date, Papua New Guinea officially gained independence from Australia and became an independent country.

Governance System

West Papua is part of the Indonesian state which adheres to a Presidential system of government, where there is a separation of powers namely the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary. West Papua is divided into six provinces, namely Papua Province, West Papua Province, Central Papua Province, North Papua Province, South Papua Province, and Highlands Province. Each province in West Papua is headed by a Governor and Deputy Governor who are directly elected by the people through elections. Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea has a parliamentary republic system of government. In this system, executive power is held by the prime minister, who is elected by Parliament from elected members. The Papua New Guinea Parliament, known as the National Parliament, is the highest legislative body in the country. The parliament consists of members elected in general elections every five years. Papua New Guinea consists of 22 provinces.

Language

In West Papua, the official language used is Indonesian, as the national language of Indonesia. However, there are also various local languages ​​used by the people of West Papua, especially languages ​​from different ethnic groups. Examples include the Biak language, Dani language, Yali language, Sentani language, Asmat language, and other local languages, totaling 428 languages. In Papua New Guinea, the official language is English, which is used in administration, education, and the media. However, Papua New Guinea has an extraordinary linguistic richness with more than 840 local languages ​​used by its people. Some significant local languages ​​in Papua New Guinea include Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu.

Land Area

Papua and Papua New Guinea are on the same island, namely the island of New Guinea, which is the second largest island in the world with an area of ​​785,753 km². Of the total, Indonesia’s portion covers 418,707.7 km² while the rest belongs to the country of Papua New Guinea. Although adjacent, West Papua is located in Southeast Asia, while Papua New Guinea is in Oceania.