Netherlands New Guinea
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Dutch expeditions in Netherlands New Guinea in 1907-1915. |
Netherlands New Guinea was the official name of western
New Guinea while it was a colonial possession of the
Netherlands. It was commonly known as
Dutch New Guinea. It is currently Indonesia's two easternmost provinces,
Papua and
West Irian Jaya (administered as one single unit prior to 2003 under the name
Irian Jaya).
From
1898 to
1949 Dutch New Guinea was governed as part of the
Dutch East Indies.
In 1949, when the rest of the Dutch East Indies became fully independent as
Indonesia, the Dutch retained sovereignty over western New Guinea, and took steps to prepare it for independence as a separate country. Some five thousand teachers were flown there. The Dutch put an emphasis upon political, business, and civic skills. The first local naval cadets graduated in
1955 and the first army brigade become operational in
1956.
Elections were held across
Dutch New Guinea in
1959 and an elected council officially took office on
April 5,
1961, to prepare for full independence by the end of that decade. The Dutch endorsed the council's selection of a new national anthem and the
Morning Star as the new national flag on
December 1,
1961.
Indonesia invaded the region on
December 18,
1961. After an armed conflict the territory was placed under
United Nations administration in October
1962 before being transferred to Indonesia in May
1963. The territory was formally annexed by Indonesia in
1969 after a controversial
plebiscite was conducted by the Indonesian military.
*
Papua*
New Guinea*
Papua (Indonesian province)*
Kaiser-Wilhelmsland*
Irian Jaya*
Western New Guinea*
British New Guinea*
German New Guinea
