The last paradise

Anita Verde · Issue 110, Sep/Oct 2019 · pp. 61–65

When we mention the words ‘West Papua’ to our non-diving friends, we get a look of ‘Huh? Where? Why go there?’ But to our diving friends, well their faces light up with dreams of uninhabited islands, pristine reefs and verdant green pinnacles rising from the blue. Known as the birds head peninsula because of its shape, West Papua encompasses the islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo. These islands, collectively known as Raja Ampat and affectionately referred to as the ‘Four Kings’, harness the highest concentration of marine diversity anywhere on planet earth. Previously known as Irian Jaya, West Papua was actually under control of the Dutch, forming part of what was the Dutch East Indies. It was not until 1969 that the Dutch withdrew from the region and handed it over to Indonesia. Papua was actually never part of Indonesia prior to Dutch colonization, because Indonesia didn’t…