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Netherlands New Guinea

1949 – 1962
ColonyOceania

The western half of New Guinea, retained by the Netherlands as a colony when it recognized Indonesian independence over the rest of the Dutch East Indies (27 December 1949) -- Indonesia claimed the territory as its own from the outset, making it a live sovereignty dispute throughout its existence. The Dutch pursued a separate 'Papuan' nation-building policy (a Nieuw-Guinea Raad/New Guinea Council was inaugurated 1961) distinct from Indonesia's, administered from the capital Hollandia (now Jayapura).

Ceded by the Netherlands under the New York Agreement (15 August 1962); administered by the UN Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) from 1 October 1962, then transferred to Indonesian administration 1 May 1963. Indonesian sovereignty was confirmed via the 1969 'Act of Free Choice' (a disputed, non-universal-suffrage vote endorsed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2504) -- the territory remains part of Indonesia today (as Papua/West Papua provinces), outside this atlas's current Oceania roster.

Borders in 1949 · drawn from 1 sourced border frame
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Further reading

Sources