Okaba
Okaba | |
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![]() Okaba village at dusk | |
![]() ![]() Okaba Location in Western New Guinea and Indonesia ![]() ![]() Okaba Okaba (Indonesia) | |
Coordinates: 8°05′S 139°43′E / 8.083°S 139.717°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | South Papua |
Regency | Merauke Regency |
Area | |
• Total | 7,406 km2 (2,859 sq mi) |
Population (2018 est.) | |
• Total | 1,270[1] |
• Density | 1,714/km2 (4,440/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+9 (WIT) |
Climate | Af |
Okaba is a coastal town in Merauke Regency, South Papua, Indonesia.
History

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
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
- ^ Indonesian statistics. (2019). p.20.
- ^ Steenbrink, Karel. (2008) pp.237, 240
- ^ Dexter (1961). p. 812
- ^ "Climate: Okaba". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
Bibliography
- Steenbrink, Karel (2008). Catholics in Indonesia, 1808-1942: A Documented History. Vol. 2: The Spectacular Growth of a Self Confident Minority, 1903–1942. Leiden, Netherlands: KITLV Press. ISBN 9-0671-8260-5.
- Dexter, David (1961). The New Guinea Offensives. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. Volume 6. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 2028994.
- Statistics Indonesia. "Kecamatan Okaba Dalam Angka 2019 (Okaba Subdistrict in Numbers, 2019)" (in Indonesian).