The only province in Indonesia that does not have territory connected to the ocean was born on June 30, 2022, through a plenary meeting that ratified three bills on the Papua New Autonomous Region (DOB).

One of the new province's name is Papua Pegunungan that, as the name suggests, has a territory that is entirely mountainous.

One of the three bills is the Bill on Formation of Papua Pegunungan Province -- which has a territory spanning up to 108,476 square kilometers -- that came from the expansion of Papua Province.

Before this, Papua Province was expanded to Papua Province, with the capital city in Jayapura, and West Papua Province, with the capital city in Sorong.

The province was then expanded once more to become Papua Pegunungan Province, with the capital city in Jayawijaya, South Papua Province (Merauke), and Central Papua (Nabire).

Within the bill, it was described that Papua Pegunungan Province comprises eight districts: Jayawijaya, Pegunungan Bintang, Yahukimo, Tolikara, Central Mamberamo, Yalimo, Lanny Jaya, and Nduga.

In addition, the bill describes the northern, eastern, southern, and western territories of this province that are not connected to the ocean at all.

In the north, the province is bordered by Mamberamo Raya, Sarmi, Jayapura, and Keerom.

In the east, Papua Pegunungan Province is bordered with Papua New Guinea, while in the south, the province is bordered with Boven Digoel and Asmat.

With this, the new province is included in the list of provinces in Indonesia that have a national border line.

In the west, Papua Pegunungan Province is bordered with Puncak Jaya, Puncak, and Mimika.

However, the fact that this province became Indonesia's only landlocked province does not mean that it lacks natural richness.

The province has vast potential in terms of its nature, culture, and tourism that can be optimized by the government.

A scientist from Cenderawasih University, Marinus Yaung, highlighted this as he noted in a phone call that majority of the Papuan indigenous population is located in Papua Pegunungan Province.

Papua Pegunungan is a territory where the districts are not well-connected with one another. In fact, sometimes, it requires an airplane to relocate from one district to another.

To this end, this expansion can be utilized by the government to improve the prosperity of the indigenous population, especially through infrastructure development that supports Papua Pegunungan Province's myriad potentials, including tourism.

One of the tourism locations within the province includes the place where Indonesian President Joko Widodo rode a dirt bike -- Lake Habema in Jayawijaya -- that is also known as the lake above the cloud.

Lake above the cloud

The government may have to spend significant sums of money to support the development of Papua Pegunungan Province.

However, the end result that awaits is promising, especially to become the state's foreign exchange source.

For Yaung, when the transportation supporting infrastructure has been built perfectly in Papua Pegunungan, tourists will be treated to a view that resembles the beauty of the Alps in Switzerland when they travel through land.

Moreover, he fervently highlights the story of Lake Habema that spans 224.35 hectares. He believes that the lake is a relic from the ancient period.

The lake contains salt water rather than freshwater, with a variety of animals living there.

In fact, the existence of the lake serves as proof that flooding during Noah's period truly occurs and goes all the way to the top.

This lake is located 3,225 m above sea level, which is almost as high as the peak of Semeru Mount in Java that reaches 3,676 m from the ocean surface.

However, without easy access and skilled marketing, the world will never know the beauty of Lake Habema, especially the interesting story believed to be the backstory behind the existence of the lake.

Lake Habema not only has a view but also deep historical value, which makes its selling price so high that it will be a waste if it is not utilized optimally.

To this end, Yaung expects that infrastructure development can support tourists' access to Lake Habema.

On the other hand, if tourists are keen to see the variety of animals that reside in Papua, then the ideal destination will be the Lorentz National Park.

This national park is one of the biggest in Southeast Asia and is located in Jayawijaya, Mimika, Asmat, Yahukimo, and Puncak Jaya.

The size of Lorentz National Park is so large to the extent that it is not fully located in Papua Pegunungan but it can be accessed through the province.

Yaung recommends this location for those keen to know more about Papua's natural richness.

Tourists keen to enjoy coffee, especially in the cold weather, can sample the Wamena specialty coffee in Jayawijaya that is a must-try.

The coffee from Wamena and Pegunungan Bintang had also been showcased at the 2022 Specialty Coffee Expo (SCE) held by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Massachusetts, the United States, in April.

The development of these myriad potentials by the government through the expansion of this province is highly awaited.

Baliem Valley Festival

Talking about Indonesia's regional potential would be incomplete without discussing the tradition and festival.

If Egypt has mummies, Indonesia also has mummies. These mummies are located in Baliem Valley in Wamena, Jayawijaya, Yaung noted.

Three mummies will be on display at the Baliem Valley Festival scheduled in August, he noted.

These mummies hold a sacred place in the Dani people's culture. To attend the festival and see the mummies, he estimated that visitors have to pay Rp300 thousand.

Quoted from the Indonesia Information Portal, the Baliem Valley Festival has been held since 1989 and continues to be organized, as it brings positive impacts for Papua.

This festival usually features a war exhibition, cultural shows comprising traditional dance, and musical instrument performance.

Papua Pegunungan Province is rich in local culture, tradition, natural beauty, and natural results. Unfortunately, this beauty is not yet accessed optimally due to the lack of infrastructure development.

To this end, Papuan Yaung expressed hope that the province's expansion would help the government to focus on infrastructure development, specifically in Papua Pegunungan, to boost the prosperity of the Papuan indigenous population. 

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