Western Province

Introducing Western Province

The majority of the province consists of an inhospitable flood plain which borders Indonesia’s West Papua and receives little rainfall in itself. Instead the massive Fly River system and its tributaries, including the Strickland and Ok Tedi Rivers, are fed by the far wetter Highlands. Olsobip, one of the northernmost stations in the province, could well be one of the wettest places on earth with a rainfall in excess of 10m a year – although this has never been scientifically established as there is no weather station here.

The far west sees few tourists but is slowly gaining a worldwide reputation as a bird-watching destination (near Kiunga) and a fishing mecca (in the Tonda Wildlife Management Area – for those who can ­afford it).

The local economy revolves around the Ok Tedi mine, which accounts for over half of the entire province’s economy and a quarter of the country’s entire export earnings.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009