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Biak is an
island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
located in
Cenderawasih Bay Cenderawasih Bay ( id, Teluk Cenderawasih, "Bird of Paradise Bay"), also known as Sarera Bay ( id, Teluk Sarera) and formerly Geelvink Bay ( nl, Geelvinkbaai), is a large bay in northern Province of Papua, Central Papua and West Papua, New Guin ...
near the northern coast of Papua, an
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n province, and is just northwest of
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
. Biak is the largest island in its small
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...
, and has many
atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
s,
reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...
s, and
coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...
s. The largest population centre is at Kota Biak (Biak City) on the south coast. The rest of the island is thinly populated with small villages. Biak is part of the
Biak Islands Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The large ...
(''Kepulauan Biak''), and is administered by
Biak Numfor Regency Biak Numfor Regency is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in Papua Province of Western New Guinea in northeastern Indonesia. Geography The regency consists two of the three largest members of the Schouten Islands archipelago at the northern en ...
.


Geography

Biak covers an area of The island is long and wide at its widest point. The highest point is approximately 740 meters elevation, located in the northwest of the island. The island of Supiori lies close to the northwest, separated from Biak by a narrow, shallow channel. The smaller
Padaido Islands The Padaido Islands, also known as the Padaido Archipelago, is a group of Islands in Indonesia's Papua Province. They lie in Cenderawasih Bay, south and southeast of the island of Biak. The archipelago consists of many small islands and coral reef ...
lie south and southeast of Biak. Collectively Biak, Supiori, the Padaido Islands, and the island of
Numfor Numfor (also Numfoor, Noemfoor, Noemfoer) is one of the Schouten Islands (also known as the Biak Islands) in Papua province, northeastern Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and wa ...
to the southwest are known as the Schouten Islands, also called the Biak Islands or Geelvink Islands. Biak is the largest island in the group, and the most populated. The islands enclose
Cenderawasih Bay Cenderawasih Bay ( id, Teluk Cenderawasih, "Bird of Paradise Bay"), also known as Sarera Bay ( id, Teluk Sarera) and formerly Geelvink Bay ( nl, Geelvinkbaai), is a large bay in northern Province of Papua, Central Papua and West Papua, New Guin ...
on the north. The island of
Yapen Yapen (also Japan, Jobi) is an island of Papua, Indonesia. The Yapen Strait separates Yapen and the Biak Islands to the north. It is in Cenderawasih Bay off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea. To the west is Mios Num Island ...
lies south of Biak and the Padaido Islands, separated by a broad channel. The island is administered by
Biak Numfor Regency Biak Numfor Regency is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in Papua Province of Western New Guinea in northeastern Indonesia. Geography The regency consists two of the three largest members of the Schouten Islands archipelago at the northern en ...
, which also includes Numfor and the Padaido Islands. The administrative center is at Biak City. Supiori was formerly part of Biak Numfor Regency, but was made a separate regency in 2004.


History

Biak was first reported as sighted by Europeans by the Portuguese navigator
Jorge de Menezes Jorge de Menezes (c. 1498 – 1537) was a Portuguese explorer, who in 1526–27 landed on the islands of Biak ( Cenderawasih Bay), whilst he awaited the passing of the monsoon season, and on the northern coasts of the Bird's Head Peninsula, call ...
in 1526. In his voyage from Malacca to Maluku via northern Borneo, Jorge de Menezes landed at Biak Islands, at the entrance of the Gulf, where he was forced to winter; the island is thenceforth called in Portuguese maps ''Ilha de Dom Jorge'' or ''Ilha onde invernou Dom Jorge'', to become, finally, ''Ilha de S. Jorge''. The Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra sighted the island on 24 June 1528, when trying to return from
Tidore Tidore ( id, Kota Tidore Kepulauan, lit. "City of Tidore Islands") is a city, island, and archipelago in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia, west of the larger island of Halmahera. Part of North Maluku Province, the city includes the island ...
to New Spain. Another sighting was later reported in 1545 by Spanish navigator Íñigo Ortiz de Retes on board of
galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch W ...
''San Juan'' when also attempting the return to New Spain The archipelago was first mapped in the Portuguese charts of Gaspar Viegas (c. 1537), an anonymous map of 1540, and on the maps of João de Lisboa and of Bartolomeu Velho (c. 1560), and by other Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch maps. In
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, a strategic
airfield An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...
of the
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
was located there, serving as a base for operations in the Pacific theatre. American forces eventually captured the island during the
Battle of Biak The Battle of Biak was part of the Western New Guinea campaign of World War II, fought between the United States Army and the Imperial Japanese Army, Japanese Army from 27 May to 17 August 1944. Taking place on the island of Biak, in Geelvink Ba ...
. The captured airfield was renamed
Mokmer Airfield Frans Kaisiepo International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Frans Kaisiepo) , is an airport in Biak, Papua, Indonesia. It is also known as Mokmer Airport. The airport is named after Frans Kaisiepo (1921–1979), the fourth Governor of ...
and later transferred to the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
. Biak became the second landing of allied forces after Hollandia. Many Biak islanders received supplies from allied forces such as clothes and foods. To restore Dutch rule after the war they reopened schools and re-employed graduates from teacher schools in Miei. Some Biak islanders underwent education in ''Bestuur'' school like Frans Kaisieppo, Eduard Rumbrar, Markus Kaisiepo, Marttinus Rumayau, and Lukas Rumkorem. By September 1945, Lukas Rumkorem founded Perserikatan Indonesia Merdeka (PIM), the first political party in Biak which held meetings during September and November in Nusi and from January 1946 in Bosnek. Although Rumkorem's activity would be found out by ''Hoofd Plaatselik Bestuur'' (HPB), no further action would be taken as the HPB went on sick leave until the resident found out. By the middle of 1947, Lukas Rumkorem would be captured by Dutch authority accused of trying to kill Frans Kaisiepo and Marcus Kaisiepo. De Bruijn as district leader of Biak would reorganised and formed regional council ''Kakain Karkara'' on 20 November 1947 to rebuild villages which were destroyed after ''Koreri'' movements against social changes brought by outsiders. In his administration de Bruijn had a right hand man by the name of Stefanus Yoseph which was formerly under the employ of Japanese and met de Bruijn during his employment in Wissel Lakes (Paniai), Stefanus Yoseph was entrusted as warden in Biak, during which he stayed with Petero Jandi a Makassarese working as woodworker in HPB office. According to Stefanus, Petero Jandi was an Indonesian nationalist extremist (with links with Palombangkeng group from South Sulawesi) which was captured and exiled to Biak. When Solait the ''bestuurassistent'' was on holiday in
Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...
, Stefanus was chosen as ''bestuurassistent''. During this time they supported two prisoners, Hermanus Rumere and Ambonese named Watti which led an attack on ammunition depot and Biak prison on 14 March 1948. Another important figure in this rebellion was Hanoch Rumbrar a clerk in HPB office, which became the intermediary between civillians and Petero Jandi's movement in garnering support and campaign from January to 10 March to became part of 'Soekarno's Republic'. They gained some support however some rejected not because of they were pro-Dutch but afraid of similar retaliation during Manseren incident (1942-1943). This movement also tried to coordinate with Silas Papare's PKII particularly with Saleh, Ratulangi's exiled assistant in Serui. A week before this rebellion de Bruijn was on official travel. The plan was to attack KNIL garrison in Sorido followed with attack to central radio station and KNIL military post in Boruku field and Mokmer to gain weapons and free prisoners in Serui before invading Manokwari and Sorong. The rebellion did not go to plan and led to shootouts as one of local Biak youth, Terrianus shot Dutch Sergeant Schipper. By Monday, Stefanus Yoseph was captured, followed by Petero Jandi, Hanoch Rumbrar, and others the next day. Around 40 rebels would be captured and brought to Cipinang prison in Jakarta and released in 1950s. Petero Jandi would receive capital punishment in Hollandia while others holdouts in jungle, like Petrus Korwa and Hanoch Rumbrar were sent to Digul. PIM activities would resume after the arrival of Corinus Krey from Hollandia on 7 August 1949. On 1 October 1949, there would be a meeting in the home of Yenures village leader, David Rumaropen to reorganise PIM and formally reactivated on 5 October 1949 in Bosnik, in the home of Lukas Rumkorem, with him as leader, Corinus Krey as deputy and J. Tarumaselly as advisor and Petrus Warikar as secretary. By 1958, a new movement led by Lukas Rumkorem was formed called Tentara Tjadangan Tjenderawasih (TTT), which according to J. Tarumaselly had branches in other region of Papua. This organisation sent some papuan youths to undergo military training outside Biak which was planned to guide Indonesia infiltration forces. TTT also made contacts with Indonesia Consulate General in Singapore to utilise Chinese-Indonesian as they move more freely with KPM ships other activities include surveillance of potential important locations in Biak by J. Tarumaselly and T. Rumngeur which was sent to Indonesian representatives in Singapore, Ambon, Hollandia, and Serui. TTT activities would be stopped after Dutch authorities found out and captured David Woisiri, Rafael Maselkosu, J. Tarumaselly, Jonathan Saroy, and Frits Werluken member of TTT branch of Serui. It was transferred from Dutch rule, along with half of New Guinea, to Indonesia in the 1960s. On 15 August 1962,
New York Agreement The New York Agreement is an agreement signed by the Netherlands and Indonesia regarding the administration of the territory of Western New Guinea. The first part of the agreement proposes that the United Nations assume administration of the terr ...
was signed, which contained provision for Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat. From 29 September to 19 October 1962, there was a papuan delegations consisting of 19 members to visit Indonesian regions and meet with Sukarno in Jakarta. Another delegations from papuan regions consisted of 34 people declare their oaths for Indonesia, among these Biak sent 2 delegates, Ds. F.J.S. Rumainum and Frans Kaisiepo. Another declaration from education employees delegates consisted of 16 people with Biak represented by L. Manidbodibo and N. Urbinas. On 1 July 1998, the anniversary of the unsuccessful 1971 Papuan declaration of independence, Biak was the scene of what is commonly known as the 'Biak Massacre' or 'Bloody Biak'. Members of the ''Organisasi Papua Merdeka'' (
Free Papua Movement "Free Papua Movement" ( id, Organisasi Papua Merdeka, OPM, tpi, Fri Wes Papua Grup) is an umbrella term for the independence movement established during 1965 in the West Papuan or West New Guinea territory which is currently being administrat ...
), raised ' The Morning Star', at Kota Biak water tower and camped there for the next six days. At 05:30 on 6 July 1998, the demonstration was fired upon by the ''Tentara Nasional Indonesia'' (TNI or
Indonesian Military , founded = as the ('People's Security Forces') , current_form = , disbanded = , branches = , headquarters = Cilangkap, Jakarta , website = , commander-in-chief = Joko Widodo , ...
). Many were shot while attempting to flee. Survivors were rounded up and forced to the docks where they were kept for several days while further demonstrators were caught. About 200 of the original demonstrators were forcibly loaded onto two Indonesian naval vessels and taken to two different locations to be thrown into the ocean. In the following days, bodies washed up on Biak's shores, or were snarled in fishing nets. The TNI explained that the bodies turning up belonged to victims of the Aitape
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
which occurred approximately away in
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
.


Demographics

The people of Biak are predominantly
Melanesians Melanesians are the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in a wide area from Indonesia's New Guinea to as far East as the islands of Vanuatu and Fiji. Most speak either one of the many languages of the Austronesian language f ...
, though speaking predominantly Austronesian languages and the main religion is
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. In Biak and surrounding regions, many titles relating to jobs in Tidore Sultanate administration became used as clan and family names, which include ''Korano'' or ''Kolano'' (ultimately from Javanese ''Klono'' in Panji), ''Sanadi'' or ''Sangaji'' (district leader), ''Mayor'' which had job to deliver tribute to Tidore. ''Dimara'' (village leader), military leaders such as ''Kapitarau'' (sea captain) and ''Kapisa'' (captain), as well as numerous names with starting element of ''Rum-'' such as Rumbiak, Rumbewas, Rumbekwan, have origin in Tidore language, as ''Rum'' referred to specific area in palace of Tidore. However due to extensive foreign trading relationship Biak and Yapen islands as well as the Yondama bay host a sizeable descendant of foreign traders. This can be seen with these islands has the largest local Chinese-descent population in Papua provinces. They have intermarried with locals for generations and sometimes took on local family name. Proof of extensive foreign tradings also include various local traditions involving Chinese porcelains, such as ''Mansorandak'' tradition of stepping on a plate after going back from long voyage. The official language is Indonesian and the main local language is Biak. Other languages such as English are also used, but limited. Administratively there are 12 kecamatan, covering only the island itself, having 122,166 people in the 2020 census.


Climate

Biak features a
tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is , which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak. The city sees a good amount of precipitation in every month throughout the course of the year, averaging roughly of precipitation per year. Its driest months November, average a little under of rain per month.


Economy

The island is relatively rural and most Papuans on the island subsist off the land, primarily by fishing or gathering. It has large reserves of
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and
nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow ...
. For generations, most Papuans have inherited "customary claims" to parcels of land that they live off of and these property rights are defended by both the property's owner and possibly also the property owner's clan.


Transport

Biak is served by
Frans Kaisiepo Airport Frans Kaisiepo International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Frans Kaisiepo) , is an airport in Biak, Papua, Indonesia. It is also known as Mokmer Airport. The airport is named after Frans Kaisiepo (1921–1979), the fourth Governor of ...
, which has flights from all over Indonesia. Biak lies at
latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
1 degree south of the equator and consequently, any rockets launched from the island would require less fuel to reach Earth's orbit and enter into a
geocentric orbit A geocentric orbit or Earth orbit involves any object orbiting Earth, such as the Moon or artificial satellites. In 1997, NASA estimated there were approximately 2,465 artificial satellite payloads orbiting Earth and 6,216 pieces of space debri ...
than had the same rocket been launched further away from the equator. The equatorial location offers particularly efficient launches to equatorial and near-equatorial orbits; facing eastward toward the Pacific Ocean reduces the downrange risks of launch. , space
satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
launch services had been planned for the new Biak Spaceport.


Tradition

The Biak Numfor culture revolves around their ancient animist religion, although today they are Christian as well. Their beliefs revolve around a ritual ceremony called Wor, where they will be plagued by all kinds of bad luck and sickness. The Wor is in all aspect of their life and some of their traditional ceremonies are still being held now. They include the first hair cut ceremony (Wor Kapapnik), the growing up ceremony (Wor Famarmar) and the Wedding ceremony (Wor Yakyaker Farbakbuk). All of these ceremonies are accompanied by singing, dancing and offering to ancestral spirits.


Yosim Pancar Dance

The Biak Numfor have a friendship dance called ''Yosim Pancar'' which is popular across West Papua and coastal Papua. Its small to mid-size dance group formations could last all-night long. Several "Yosim Pancar" moves that are popular till this day are: Pancar Gas, Gale-Gale, Jef, Pacul Tiga, Seka, and Poco-poco adaptation. This dance is an amalgamation of two traditional dances namely ''Yosim'' dances originating from the bay of Sairei (Serul, Waropen) and Pancar dances originating from Biak,
Numfor Numfor (also Numfoor, Noemfoor, Noemfoer) is one of the Schouten Islands (also known as the Biak Islands) in Papua province, northeastern Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and wa ...
and Manokwari. The musical instruments used for Yosim usually used are cuku lele (Ukulele), and guitars which shows foreign influences as these were not instruments from Papua. Included was also local bass made from three strings, with the strings made from Pandan leaves. As well as Kalabasa, a dried Calabash, which was then filled with beads. In ''Yosim'' dance, the women are dressed with weavings to cover the chest, and headress made from bird feathers. While the men are bare-chested and wearing the same headress. The dance movement are more energetic though simple. In ''Pancar'' dance, the music are from Tifa drums which is the universal instruments for coastal Papuans. The drum skin is usually made from soa-soa (lizards). The movements are more stiff following the Tifa beats. Movements include Seka, this dance movement are usually from southern coast with famous version from Kaimana, Fakfak, and Timika. In Pacul Tiga, or Pancar Meneru the dancer swing forward three steps, and throw both arms and one leg to the left and right, which was then repeated fir the other leg. Jef movements are influenced by rock and roll dance from 1969-1971, Gale-Gale movements are from Wondama Bay and Mor-Mambor islands. Pancar movements are performed by the dancers move in a circle. These movements was inspired by animals, and have four variations. The rhythm and song of Yosim Pancar dance are now being modernized with special effect sounds and pop dance beat. Originally the rhythm is to summon ancestral spirits and let them join the group. The traditional musical instrument of this dance is a self-made string bass from coconut tree and roots which is similar to the guitar or ukulele.


Flora and fauna

The
rain forest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...
-covered Biak Islands have been designated the
Biak–Numfoor rain forests The Biak–Numfoor rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion covers the islands of Biak, Supiori, Numfoor, and several smaller islands, which lie in Cenderawasih Bay north of Yapen and New Guinea. Geography B ...
, especially as they have the largest number of
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
bird species of any single area in the New Guinea region. There are also numerous reptile and amphibian species found here. Among the many snake species catalogued by Tom Mendelson during his herpetological survey of Biak in the 1990s, the green tree python ('' Morelia viridis'') and the amethystine python ('' Morelia amethystina'') were quite common. The Biak glider is a recently reclassified
gliding possum There are many different types of gliding possum, sometimes referred to as volplane possum, flying phalangers, or simply as gliders: Australian gliders * Feathertail glider or pygmy gliding possum, ''Acrobates pygmaeus'' * Greater glider, ''Petau ...
species, formerly considered a
sugar glider The sugar glider (''Petaurus breviceps'') is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary foods such as sap and nectar and its abili ...
subspecies. There are numerous types of flora in the tropical rain forest of the island, including a variety of trees and other commercially important species plus the lush vegetation of mangrove swamps. The recently discovered palm tree '' Manjekia maturbongsii'' is endemic to Biak.


Notable people

* Frans Kaisiepo, 4th Governor of Papua (as West Irian) and National Hero of Indonesia * Johannes Abraham Dimara, Indonesian Army major and National Hero of Indonesia * Beatrix Koibur - politician. * Raema Lisa Rumbewas - Olympic weightlifter. * Nitya Krishinda Maheswari - Badminton player, gold medalist at Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games.


See also

* 1996 Biak earthquake * The Origin of Irian Island


References

{{authority control Schouten Islands Islands of Western New Guinea Landforms of Papua (province) Populated places in Papua (province) Regency seats of Papua (province) Biak–Numfoor rain forests