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Irian Jaya

American  
[eer-ee-ahn jah-yah] / ˈɪər iˌɑn ˈdʒɑ jɑ /

noun

  1. the western part of the island of New Guinea, formerly a Dutch territory: a province of Indonesia since 1963. About 159,000 sq. mi. (411,810 sq. km). Jayapura.


Irian Jaya British  

noun

  1. a former Indonesian name (1973–2001) for Papua

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Indonesia’s government incorporated Western New Guinea, formerly known as Irian Jaya, in 1969, 8 years after the Papuans formally declared independence from the Dutch.

From Science Magazine Oct. 12, 2021

Known as Irian Jaya until 2000, it was split into two provinces, Papua and West Papua, in 2003.

From The Guardian Aug. 29, 2019

Known as Irian Jaya until 2000, it been split into two provinces, Papua and West Papua, since 2003.

From The Guardian Sep. 29, 2017

He suspected that a courier reported him for trying to ship water samples abroad — water samples that would demonstrate the environmental abuses at the enormous Grasberg gold mine in Irian Jaya.

From New York Times Aug. 10, 2012

The outcome was different in western New Guinea, which Indonesia took over from Holland in 1963 and renamed Irian Jaya province.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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