User:Bluesatellite/Sandbox3

Western New Guinea is a region of Indonesia on the western portion of the island of New Guinea. The official and common local name of the region is Papua, while the independence activists refer to it as West Papua; nevertheless both names are highly ambiguous in use. Geographically, the region belongs to Australian continent, unlike western Indonesian regions which are grouped as part of Asia. Western New Guinea is home to Papuan peoples that consists of hundreds of different tribes, including some uncontacted peoples. The region is administratively divided into five provinces: Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, and West Papua. The largest city of the region is Jayapura on the northeast coast, with a population of 398,478 as of 2020.

Names
Speakers align themselves with a political orientation when choosing a name for the western half of the island of New Guinea. The official name of the region is Papua according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO). However, Papua is used variedly to refer to the whole island, the Indonesian province on its north coast, as well as the southern region of Papua New Guinea. Independence activists refer to the region as "West Papua", which is often confused with the westernmost province of the region. Historically, the region has had the official names of Dutch New Guinea (1895–1962), West New Guinea or West Irian (1962–1973), Irian Jaya (1973–2002), and Papua (2002–present). The name Indonesian New Guinea is also used sometimes in media and literature.