Sorong | |
|---|---|
| City of Sorong Kota Sorong | |
 Skyview of Sorong | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Motto(s): Setara – Bersahabat – Dinamis (Equal – Friendly – Dynamic) | |
 Location inSouthwest Papua | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
  Sorong Sorong (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia | |
| Coordinates:0°52′S131°15′E / 0.867°S 131.250°E /-0.867; 131.250 | |
| Country |  Indonesia |
| Region | Papua |
| Province |  Southwest Papua |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lambert Jitmau |
| • Vice Mayor | Pahimah Iskandar |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,105.0 km2 (426.6 sq mi) |
| Population (mid 2023 estimate) | |
• Total | 294,978 |
| • Density | 270/km2 (690/sq mi) |
| [1] | |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Indonesia Eastern Time) |
| Postcodes | 98414 |
| Area code | (+62) 951 |
| Website | sorongkota |
Sorong is the largestcity and the capital of theIndonesian province ofSouthwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being withSorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia'sRaja Ampat Islands, species richcoral reef islands in an area considered the heart of the world's coral reefbiodiversity.[2] It also is the logistics hub for Indonesia's thriving eastern oil and gas frontier. Sorong experienced rapid growth during the decade from 2010, and further growth is anticipated as Sorongbecomes linked by road to other frontier towns in Papua'sBird's Head Peninsula. The official estimate of population as of mid 2023 was 294,978 - comprising 154,543 males and 140,435 females.[1] The suburban area of Sorong city contains tropical rainforest and mangrove forest that has increasingly become popular as ecotourism attractions especially for birdwatching or wildlife watching.[3]
The origin of Sorong's name comes from the wordSoren, which means "deep and wavy ocean" in theBiak language. The name was first used by theBiak-Numfor people who sailed to different islands before they finally decided to settle down inRaja Ampat Islands. When the Biak-Numfor people came to the place called "Daratan Maladum", they decided to call itSoren. After centuries of contact with Chinese merchants, European missionaries, and people from Maluku and Sangihe-Talaud, the name underwent further change intoSorong.[4]
Dutch influence over the region was minimal until the 20th century, when a colonial post was established onDoom Island in 1906, serving as the Dutch administrative center of the region.[5] In the 1930s, the Dutch oil companyNederlandsch Nieuw Guinee Petroleum Maatschappij (NNGPM) had discovered oil off the coast of Sorong.[6] The newly established oil fields led to the expansion of Dutch colonial influence inWestern New Guinea, and had made Sorong into a valuable military target. DuringWorld War II, Sorong was occupied by theEmpire of Japan in 1942, and would serve as the center of operations for Japanese forces during theWestern New Guinea campaign. TheBattle of Sansapor in June 1944 would effectively end Japanese control over the Bird's Head Peninsula, and by August 1944 any remaining Japanese presence in the region was removed by theUS 6th Division.[7] After theIndonesian War of Independence, thecolonial administration would attempt to expand oil production with the construction of the 58 kilometer Klamono-Sorong pipeline.[8] However, oil production declined after the war, and by 1961 oil production had dropped another 33%. This decline in production contributed to the demise of the Dutch colonial administration, as the Dutch administration over the territory could no longer be defended as economically viable. Under Indonesian administration, oil production would return to pre-war levels, and by 1967 production had more than trebled from 1961 levels.[8] Today, the city still remains as one of the major oil and gas producers of Indonesian New Guinea.
In 1972, Sorong was reformed into an autonomous city, and then reformed into anadministrative city in 1996.[9] Administrative cities were abolished in 1999, granting Sorong full city status, and separating Sorong City from theSorong Regency.[10]
At the 2010 Census, the city comprised sixdistricts (distrik), but the number has subsequently been increased to ten by the splitting of existing districts. These are tabulated below with their populations at the 2010 Census[11] and 2020 Census,[12] together with the official estimates for mid-2023.[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number ofadministrative villages (all classed as urbankelurahan, 41 in total) in each district, and its post code.
| Kode Kemendagri | Name of District (distrik) | Area in km2 | Pop'n 2010 Census | Pop'n 2020 Census | Pop'n mid 2023 Estimate | Admin centre | No. of villages | Post code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92.71.03 | Sorong Barat (West Sorong) | 127.74 | 35,306 | 38,578 | 39,936 | Klawasi | 4 | 98412 |
| 92.71.10 | Maladum Mes(a) | 126.40 | (b) | 11,412 | 12,258 | Tanjung Kasuari | 4 | 98411 |
| 92.71.04 | Sorong Kepulauan(c) (Sorong Islands) | 200.11 | 9,711 | 11,801 | 13,351 | Doom Timur | 4 | 98413 |
| 92.71.02 | Sorong Timur (East Sorong) | 69.39 | 26,804 | 40,374 | 44,424 | Klamana | 4 | 98418 |
| 02.71.05 | Sorong Utara (North Sorong) | 127.21 | 45,001 | 37,029 | 39,503 | Malanu | 4 | 98410 |
| 92.71.01 | Sorong (district) | 48.81 | 31,264 | 19,083 | 18,216 | Remu | 4 | 98416 |
| 92.71.06 | Sorong Manoi | 135.97 | 42,539 | 55,482 | 56,268 | Malawei | 5 | 98415 |
| 92.71.08 | Klaurung | 88.83 | (b) | 15,145 | 16,801 | Klablim | 4 | 98417 |
| 92.71.09 | Malaimsimsa | 102.50 | (b) | 32,600 | 33,269 | Klabulu | 4 | 98419 |
| 92.71.07 | Sorong Kota (Sorong town) | 78.04 | (b) | 21,446 | 20,952 | Kampung Baru | 4 | 98414 |
| Totals | 1,105.00 | 190,625 | 284,410 | 294,978 | 41 |
Note: (a) A coastal strip along the northern edge of the city. (b) the populations as at 2010 of the four new districts established after 2010 are included in the figures for the districts from which they were split off.
(c) Sorong Kepulauan District comprises 25 islands off the west coast of Sorong but within the city limits, includingDoom,Soop,Raam and Umbre Islands.
The city had a population of 190,625 at the 2010 Census[11] and 284,410 at the 2020 Census;[12] the official estimate (as at mid 2023) was 294,978 (comprising 154,543 males and 140,435 females).[1] In mid 2022, 47.34% of the city population were Protestant, 44.82% were Muslim, and 7.55% Catholic, with minorities of Buddhists and Hindus.[13]
Sorong experiences atropical rainforest climate (KöppenAf), as there is no real dry season throughout the year. The wettest month is June, with a total rainfall of 373 millimetres (14.7 in), while the driest month is February, with a total rainfall of 180 millimetres (7.1 in). The excessive rainfall is caused by the monsoon. The temperature variation remains constant throughout the year. The temperature difference between the hottest month and the coolest month is 1.2 °C (2.2 °F). The hottest month is November, with an average temperature of 27.8 °C (82.0 °F), while the coolest month is July, with an average temperature of 26.6 °C (79.9 °F).
| Climate data for Sorong, West Papua | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.5 (86.9) | 30.5 (86.9) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 29.4 (84.9) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.9 (85.8) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.4 (86.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.3 (81.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.3 (75.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 194 (7.6) | 180 (7.1) | 198 (7.8) | 243 (9.6) | 368 (14.5) | 373 (14.7) | 321 (12.6) | 277 (10.9) | 234 (9.2) | 207 (8.1) | 186 (7.3) | 188 (7.4) | 2,969 (116.8) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 81 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 85 | 82 | 82 | 83 | 83 |
| Source 1: Climate-Data.org (average temps & precipitation)[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weatherbase (humidity)[15] | |||||||||||||
Acontainer port was built in Sorong with an annual container-handling capacity of 500,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) at a cost of Rp.800 billion (US$93.6 million). Construction began in early 2012 and was intended to be completed in mid-2013,[16] but was delayed and was inaugurated on 20 September 2021.
The state-owned oil companyPertamina operates a dockyard in Sorong.[17] The city is served byDomine Eduard Osok Airport.[18]
The phrase "Sorong to Samarai" is commonly used throughout Papua New Guinea andIndonesian Papua to express solidarity and oneness and makes reference to both Sorong, a town inSouthwest Papua, Indonesia andSamarai, a small township being one of the easternmost point located inMilne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. It is sometimes used byPapuan independence activists in reference to Papuan unification, in opposition to the common Indonesian phrase of "Sabang toMerauke". In 2016, theARIA Music Awards-nominated Papua New Guinean-Australian musicianAirileke released a single titled "Sorong Samarai".[19]
In addition to its sister cities, Sorong cooperates with:
(in Indonesian)Regencies and cities ofSouthwest Papua | ||
|---|---|---|
Capital:Sorong | ||
| Regencies |  | |
| Cities | ||
| 2,000,000 and above | |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000–1,999,999 | |
| 500,000–999,999 | |
| 300,000–499,999 | |
| 200,000–299,999 | |
Note:Bold indicates provincial capital | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
