Story

Manokwari Regency is a regency in West Papua, Indonesia. Following the splitting away of twenty of its former districts in 2013, it now covers an area of 2,763.02 km2 and had a population of 192,663 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 204,106 (comprising 105,435 males and 98,671 females). The administrative centre (regency seat) is presently at the town of Manokwari, which is also the capital of the province.

Under proposals approved by the Indonesian Parliament in 2013, the town of Manokwari - comprising the districts (kecamatan) of West Manokwari and East Manokwari - was intended to be split off from the regency to form a separate independent city, but the proposal has subsequently remained under consideration with a decision deferred by the Indonesian Government (which has held a moratorium on the formation of new regencies and cities).

Hari jadi Manokwari yang jatuh pada tanggal 8 November 1898 di latar belakangi oleh peristiwa terbentuknya pos pemerintahan pertama di Manokwari oleh Pemerintah Hindia Belanda, ketika Residen Ternate Dr. D. W. Horst atas nama Gubernur Jenderal Hindia Belanda melantik Tn. L. A. Van Oosterzee pada hari Selasa tanggal 8 November 1898 sebagai Controleer Afdeling Noord New Guinea (Pengawas Wilayah Irian Jaya Bagian Utara) yang waktu itu masih termasuk wilayah keresidenan Ternate. Tanggal 8 November inilah yang selanjutnya ditetapkan sebagai hari jadi Kabupaten Manokwari melalui Peraturan Daerah Nomor 16 Tahun 1995.