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New Guinea Highlands | |
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Natural region | |
Island | New Guinea |
Area | |
• Total | 142,840 km2 (55,150 sq mi) |
Dimensions | |
• Length | 1,900 km (1,200 mi) |
• Width | 165 km (103 mi) |
Elevation | 4,884 m (16,024 ft) |
The New Guinea Highlands, also known as the Central Range or Central Cordillera, is a long chain of mountain ranges on the island of New Guinea, including the island's highest peak, Puncak Jaya, Indonesia, 16,024 ft (4,884 m), the highest mountain in Oceania. The range is home to many intermountain river valleys, many of which support thriving agricultural communities. The highlands run generally east-west the length of the island, which is divided politically between Indonesia in the west and Papua New Guinea in the east. These mountains stretch from the Weyland Mountains starting in Wondama Bay Regency in the west to the Milne Bay Province in the east.