Overview
01Overview
Pegunungan Bintang Regency or Bintang Mountains Regency ("Bintang" means "star") is a regency in the Indonesian province of Highland Papua. It was created on 11 December 2002 from the north-eastern districts of Jayawijaya Regency. It covers an area of 15,683 km2, and had a population of 65,434 at the 2010 Census and 77,872 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 114,581 – comprising 61,112 males and 53,469 females. The administrative centre is the town of Oksibil.
Culture
01Languages
The Yetfa and Murkim languages are spoken in the eponymous Jetfa and Murkim districts. Other indigenous Papuan languages of Pegunungan Bintang Regency are Lepki (Lepki-Murkim family), Kimki (isolate), Towei (Pauwasi), Emem (Pauwasi), and Burumakok (Ok, Trans-New Guinea).
History
Not yet available in English; shown in Indonesian.
01Sejarah
Kabupaten Pegunungan Bintang dibentuk berdasarkan Undang-undang Nomor 26 Tahun 2002 tanggal 11 Desember 2002 bersama 13 kabupaten lainnya di Provinsi Papua. Kabupaten ini memiliki kondisi geografis yang khas, di mana sebagian besar wilayahnya pegunungan terutama di bagian barat, penduduk bermukim di lereng gunung yang terjal dan lembah-lembah kecil dalam kelompok-kelompok kecil, terpencar dan terisolir; dataran rendah hanya terdapat di bagian utara dan selatan dengan tingkat aksesibilitas wilayah yang sangat rendah, sehingga sulit dijangkau bila dibandingkan dengan wilayah lainnya di tanah Papua.
Hingga saat ini seluruh pelayanan di wilayah ini hanya dilakukan dengan transportasi udara, menggunakan pesawat kecil jenis Cessna, Pilatus, Twin Otter, Cassa dan itupun sangat tergantung pada perubahan cuaca yang sering berkabut. Keterbatasan transportasi udara dengan biaya angkutan yang cukup tinggi menyebabkan harga barang kebutuhan pokok dan bahan bangunan (terutama bahan import) menjadi sangat mahal, sehingga tidak terjangkau oleh daya beli masyarakat. Tingginya tingkat kemahalan harga barang juga disebabkan karena hampir semua barang kebutuhan pokok dan bahan bangunan didatangkan dari Jayapura menggunakan transportasi udara dengan biaya angkutan barang mulai Rp. 18.500,- per kilogram dan tarif angkutan penumpang mulai Rp. 1.200.000,- per orang.
Geography
01Geography
Pegunungan Bintang Regency, located in Papua Pegunungan Province, Indonesia, has very distinctive geographical characteristics and is influenced by mountainous topography. This regency is part of the Maoke Mountains that stretch across the Papua region, so that most of its territory consists of mountainous areas with high peaks and deep valleys. This topography makes the Pegunungan Bintang area have rich biodiversity, thanks to the dense tropical forests that cover most of its territory. The tropical rainforests in this area not only function as ecosystem buffers but also as providers of natural resources. In addition, Pegunungan Bintang Regency has a number of rivers, especially the Digoel River and lakes, most of which flow south towards the Arafura Sea.The rivers in this area tend to have a fast flow due to the steep slopes of the mountains. The climate in this area is a tropical climate with relatively stable temperatures throughout the year and high rainfall, which supports the growth of lush vegetation. The mountainous and difficult-to-reach geographical conditions affect the transportation infrastructure in this regency, which is generally limited. Roads often become inaccessible during the rainy season, so air transportation is one of the main options for connecting this area to other regions. These overall geographical conditions influence various aspects of life in the Bintang Mountains, including the economy, infrastructure and way of life of the local people.
02Border Area
Astronomically, Pegunungan Bintang Regency is located between 3°04'00” – 5°20'00” South Latitude and 140°05'00” – 141°00'00” East Longitude. While geographically, Pegunungan Bintang Regency borders Keerom Regency and Jayapura Regency to the north, Boven Digoel Regency to the south, Yahukimo Regency to the west and Papua New Guinea to the east.