>>20064552Originally the island was divided into three parts. The West was part of the Dutch East Indies, while the East was split between the Germans in the North and the British in the South. After World War I the British (authority was passed to Australia) took possession of the German North.
Nowadays, after decolonization, it is controlled by Indonesia and the Commonwealth Realm of Papua New Guinea. The hinterland of both countries are pretty savage and uncivilized and West Papua (the Indonesian part) has been fighting a secession war for the better part of sixty years.
