Yos Sudarso Island

Yos Sudarso

NASA satellite image.
Geography
Location	South East Asia
Coordinates	7°57′S 138°24′E / 7.950°S 138.400°E / -7.950; 138.400Coordinates: 7°57′S 138°24′E / 7.950°S 138.400°E / -7.950; 138.400
Area	11,742 km2 (4,534 sq mi)
Area rank	67th
Administration
Indonesia
Largest settlement	Kimaan
Demographics
Population	11000

Pulau Yos Sudarso or Pulau Dolak is an island separated only by narrow channels named Muli Strait from the main island of New Guinea. It is part of the Merauke Regency, in the Indonesian province of Papua. The island is leaf shaped, about 165 km long with an area of 11,740 km². It was known as Frederik Hendrik Island until 1963. Local and alternative names of the island include Dolok, Kimaam and Kolepom.^[1]

1:250,000 map

With about 11,000 inhabitants, the island's population density is less than 1 per square km. The native population speaks Kolopom languages, including Kimaghima, Ndom, and Riantana/Kimaan. Communities on the island include Kaba, Kimaan, Kladar, Pembre, Wan, and Yomuka.^[1] Kimaan (or Kimaam) is the main settlement. It lies in the southeast on the Buaya Strait that separates the smaller island of Komoran from Dolak.

History

The island was discovered by Europeans in about January 1606 when Willem Jansz and his crew on the ship Duyfken rounded it on their way to and returning from their discovery of Australia. The Duyfken spent considerable time in the bight in between the island and the mainland. Janszoon's map of the expedition describes the island as lowland and muddy land and with the name "Tiuri".^[2] When rounding the prominent southwest cape, jutting into the Arafura Sea, in 1623, Jan Carstensz named it Valse Kaap (Dutch for "False Cape"), a name retained to date (Indonesian Tanjung Vals, English "Cape Vals").^[3] It was considered to be a part of main New Guinea until 1835, when between April 26 and May 9 the Dutch captains Langenberg, Kool and Banse sailed their schooners Postillon and Sireen through the narrow channels. They named the waterway Princess Marianne Strait (now "Muli Strait") and the island after Prince William Frederick Henry, a grandson of the king, who lived in the Dutch East Indies for a while.^[4] Until at least 1884 Komoran was though to be part of Dolak. After the handover of Western New Guinea to Indonesia in May 1963, the Indonesian government renamed the island after the Indonesian naval officer Yos Sudarso, who was in charge of a raid on the New Guinea coastline 700 km to the northwest in January 1962, but was killed in the process.

1884 map showing Komoran merged with "Frederick Henry Island"

References