Bintang Mountains Regency


Pegunungan Bintang Regency or Bintang Mountains Regency 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.

Name

Pegunungan Bintang is the Indonesian name for the Star Mountains, a mountain range that is also shared by Papua New Guinea. Similarly, Star Mountains Rural LLG in Western Province, Papua New Guinea is also named after the same mountain range.

Geography

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.

Border 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.

Languages

The Yetfa and Murkim languages are spoken in the eponymous Jetfa and Murkim districts. Other indigenous Papuan languages of Pegunungan Bintang Regency are Lepki, Kimki, Towei, Emem, and Burumakok.

Administrative districts

The Bintang Mountains Regency comprises thirty-four districts, tabulated below with their current areas and their populations within those current areas at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district, and its post code.
Kode
Wilayah		Name of
District
Area
in
km2		Pop'n
2010
Census		Pop'n
2020
Census		Pop'n
mid 2024
Estimate		Admin
centre		No.
of
villages		Post
code
95.02.04Iwur8332,2791,5303,882Iwur1099432
95.02.17Kawor8351,0847943,623Arintap799433
95.02.19Tarup4701,2351,1343,064Tarup799434
95.02.18Awinbon8725177291,177Awinbon599431
95.02.01Oksibil2484,0876,4086,949Mabilabol899415
95.02.09Pepera1961,1731,5602,756Pepera799417
95.02.11Alemsom4762,0213,0674,342Alemsom1299411
95.02.15Serambakon2651,9353,8963,166Wanbakon899418
95.02.13Kalomdol1241,1852,0252,505Dabolding599412
95.02.14Oksop3171,9482,1673,367Oksop599416
95.02.24Oksebang226116741,163Kubiphkop499427
95.02.12Okbape2467991,2103,028Bape699414
95.02.16Ok Aom1331,2221,3052,101Bulankop699413
95.02.06Borme6022,8455,9207,450Borme1399452
95.02.10Bime7263,9226,9136,924Turwe1099451
95.02.32Eipumek3064,0712,0695,004Eipumek1499453
95.02.27Weime2612,5291,3403,224Weime999446
95.02.33Pamek2041,8761,4303,999Pamek1199454
95.02.34Nongme5262,0421,0201,588Nongme799445
95.02.26Batani8331,4011,3262,041Batani799441
95.02.03Okbibab2371,9183,6443,723Abmisibil1299403
95.02.08Aboy1,0549751,1763,053Aboy799401
95.02.25Okbab6173,3904,2137,685Borban1299403
95.02.31Teiraplu1,4691,3562,0192,430Teiraplu1099405
95.02.30Jetfa3306118652,401Yefta699402
95.02.02Kiwirok2542,6793,0203,988Polobakon1299421
95.02.07Kiwirok Timur
4041,9422,4313,239Okyop999422
95.02.20Okhika911,3181,6902,335Okelwel499424
95.02.22Oklip461,6402,1132,234Oklip799425
95.02.21Oksamol2672,3222,7363,139Tinibil1299426
95.02.05Batom4764,1444,0473,785Batom1199442
95.02.28Murkim3596758101,263Bias499444
95.02.29Mofinop8111,1281,0121,516Mot599443
95.02.23Okbemtau7692,5541,5782,437Okngam999423
Totals15,68365,43477,872114,581Oksibil277

The number of districts increased dramatically prior to 2010, created by the division of the six original districts. The 28 new districts are shown as follows:
  • Kawor, Tarup, and Awinbon were created from parts of Iwur District
  • Pepera, Alemsom, Serambakon, Kolomdol, Oksop, Ok Sebang, Ok Bape, and Ok Aon were created from parts of Oksibil District
  • Bime, Epumek, Weime, Pamek, Nongme, and Batani were created from parts of Borme District
  • Aboy, Okbab, Teiraplu, and Yefta were created from parts of Okbi District
  • East Kiwirok, Okhika, Oklip, and Oksamol were created from parts of Kiwirok District
  • Murkim, Mofinop, and Okbemta were created from parts of Batom District
Note that while the Regency's official number is 95.02, the document printed for 28 February 2025 bears the reference of "94.17".