the W part of the island of New Guinea: formerly under Dutch rule, becoming a province of Indonesia in 1963. Capital: Jayapura. Pop: 2 220 934 (2000). Area: 416 990 sq km (161 000 sq miles)
Former names (until 1962): Dutch New Guinea, Netherlands New Guinea. Former Indonesian names: Irian Barat(1962–1973), Irian Jaya(1973–2001). Former English name: West Irian(translation of Irian Barat)