Merauke

Merauke
—  Town  —
Merauke Location of the town in Papua
Merauke Location of the town in Indonesia
Coordinates: 8°28′S 140°20′E / 8.467°S 140.333°E / -8.467; 140.333
Country	Indonesia
Province	Papua
Regency	Merauke Regency
Government
- Mayor	Johanes Gluba Gebze
Population (2006)
- Total	71,838
Time zone	WIT (UTC+9)

Merauke is a town considered to be one of the easternmost towns in Indonesia, located in Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia. It is next to Maro River. In 2006 it had a population of 71,838.^[1]

Merauke was established in February 1902 as a military post by the Dutch, to prevent raids by the Marind-anim into neighbouring British New Guinea and the northwest Torres Strait Islands (Boigu, Dauan and Saibai).

The Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier in Merauke is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Merauke.

Merauke was the site of an Allied air base during World War II and there was ground fighting between Australian and Japanese patrols in the area.^[2]

Merauke as the name

Merauke is used for the name of United States navy ship, USS Merauke (ID-2498).

See also

• Merauke Five

References

1. ^ Papua Province, (Indonesian) retrieved 6 May 2010
2. ^ Klemen, L. "The last Dutch fortress in the East Indies - Merauke, Dutch New Guinea, 1942". The Netherlands East Indies 1941-1942. http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/merauke.html. 

Coordinates: 8°28′S 140°20′E / 8.467°S 140.333°E / -8.467; 140.333