Jayapura, also Djajapura, town in eastern Indonesia, capital of Irian Jaya, at the foot of the Cyclops Mountains, on Jos Sudarso Bay (Humboldt Bay), on the northern coast of New Guinea. A port, shipping chiefly copra, it lies in a coastal belt where coconuts, cacao, fruit, vegetables, and cattle are raised. It was founded in 1910 by the Dutch as an administrative center called Hollandia. It was a Japanese base in World War II until captured (1944) by Allied forces, and it was capital (1949-1962) of Netherlands New Guinea colony. Reverting to United Nations control, it was placed under Indonesian administration in 1963, when it was renamed Sukarnapura. The town received its present name in 1969. Population (1997 estimate) 1,991,692.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Jayapura Information info
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