Vriendschaps River

Vriendschaps River or Baliem River is a river in the central part of Papua province, Indonesia.^[1] It is a tributary of the Pulau River, formerly called the Eilanden River.

The river begins as the Baliem Timur (East Baliem) in the northern Maoke Mountains (Snow Mountains) at Lake Habbema in Jayawijaya Regency, north of Mount Trikora. The Baliem Timur flows west to meet the Baliem Barat (West Baliem) before turning north. After traveling underground for several kilometers through a sinkhole in an area of Karst limestone geology, it emerges and travels northeast to near Tiom in Lanny Jaya Regency. This section of the river was formerly known as the Noordelijke Baliem (North Baliem) in Dutch. After flowing east through Lanny Jaya, the Baliem turns southeast as it enters the wide, flat Great Baliem Valley. In the center of the valley it meanders southeast to meet the Uwe river in the city of Wamena. South of Wamena, the river plunges southeast through a steep gorge with many rapids and waterfalls, and is joined by the Mugi and Kwik rivers. 70 kilometers southeast of Wamena the Heluk river enters the Baliem near Holuwon village. From here, the river was called Vriendschaps River at the time of Dutch New Guinea, before the course of the river was fully explored^[2] .

Below Holuwon, the river leaves the southern foothills of the Maoke or Jayawijaya Mountains and becomes a braided river heading to the southwest through the lowland rainforest of southern New Guinea. After 100 kilometers, the Baliem, slightly upstream from the village of Kaima, flows into the Pulau River (formerly the Eilanden River), which flows into the Arafura Sea about 100 kilometers south-west on the Casuarina coast.^[3][4]

See also

• List of rivers of Indonesia
• List of rivers of Western Papua

References

Coordinates: 5°28′S 138°53′E / 5.467°S 138.883°E / -5.467; 138.883