Okaba is a coastal town in Merauke Regency, South Papua, Indonesia.

Okaba
Okaba village at dusk
Okaba village at dusk
Okaba is located in Western New Guinea
Okaba
Okaba
Okaba is located in Indonesia
Okaba
Okaba
Okaba (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 8°05′S 139°43′E / 8.083°S 139.717°E / -8.083; 139.717
Country Indonesia
ProvinceSouth Papua
RegencyMerauke Regency
Area
 • Total7,406 km2 (2,859 sq mi)
Population
 (2018 est.)
 • Total1,270[1]
 • Density1,714/km2 (4,440/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (WIB)
ClimateAf

History

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Dutch officers in front of their quarters in Okaba, somewhere between 1907 and 1915

The village was established as a government post and a police station in 1907 by the Dutch, not long after the foundation of Merauke in 1902. The goal was to stop Marind-anim headhunting raids in the area. In July 1910, a catholic mission was founded there by the Dutch priest Jos van der Kolk. Although the mission shut down in 1915, it reopened in 1922, under the supervision of a Belgian priest, Peter Vertenten, who had previously worked in Belgian Congo.[2] In August 1943, a small outpost of the Australian army under the command of an infantry sergeant was established there, as part of the defense of Merauke against a possible Japanese invasion.[3] After the Dutch withdrawal from Western New Guinea in 1962, it became part of Indonesia.

Climate

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Okaba has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) with heavy rainfall from November to May to and moderate to little rainfall from June to October.

Climate data for Okaba
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.1
(88.0)
30.9
(87.6)
31.0
(87.8)
31.0
(87.8)
30.4
(86.7)
29.4
(84.9)
28.7
(83.7)
29.1
(84.4)
30.4
(86.7)
31.3
(88.3)
32.0
(89.6)
31.7
(89.1)
30.6
(87.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.1
(80.8)
27.0
(80.6)
27.1
(80.8)
27.0
(80.6)
26.5
(79.7)
25.5
(77.9)
25.0
(77.0)
24.9
(76.8)
25.7
(78.3)
26.6
(79.9)
27.3
(81.1)
27.4
(81.3)
26.4
(79.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.1
(73.6)
23.1
(73.6)
23.2
(73.8)
23.0
(73.4)
22.6
(72.7)
21.6
(70.9)
21.3
(70.3)
20.8
(69.4)
21.0
(69.8)
21.9
(71.4)
22.6
(72.7)
23.1
(73.6)
22.3
(72.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 288
(11.3)
229
(9.0)
277
(10.9)
190
(7.5)
135
(5.3)
52
(2.0)
48
(1.9)
20
(0.8)
26
(1.0)
64
(2.5)
132
(5.2)
214
(8.4)
1,675
(65.8)
Source: Climate-Data.org[4]

References

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  1. ^ Indonesian statistics. (2019). p.20.
  2. ^ Steenbrink, Karel. (2008) pp.237, 240
  3. ^ Dexter (1961). p. 812
  4. ^ "Climate: Okaba". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved July 25, 2020.

Bibliography

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