Agats

Agats District consists of 12 villages (kampung), namely:

1. Asuwetsy
2. Bis Agats
3. Bisman
4. Bou
5. Briten (Biriten/Beriten)
6. Kaye
7. Mbait
8. Per
9. Saw
10. Suwru
11. Uwus
12. Yamoth (Yomoth)

Though Agats had been populated by the Asmat people for some time, as a largely waterfront settlement, the first non-native settlement originated in the late 1930s when a Catholic mission was established in the area, and later in 1938 the Dutch East Indies government established an outpost there.{{sfn|Lubis|2017|pp=75, 77}} Due to the Second World War, however, the Dutch abandoned the Agats post in 1942 due to the Japanese presence.{{cite book |last1=Wassing |first1=René|title=Asmat Art: Woodcarvings of Southwest New Guinea |date=2012 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=9781462909643 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vEPRAgAAQBAJ |language=en |chapter=History: Colony, Mission and Nation}}

In 1953, the Catholic mission was made permanent and the following year the Dutch government of Netherlands New Guinea established a permanent post in Agats, banning headhunting practices. During this period, Asmat woodcarving became popular, with collectors, museum representatives, ethnographers and scientists visiting the area. One such visitor, Michael Rockefeller, disappeared after departing Agats for Southern Asmat in 1961, and was presumed dead.{{cite news |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Carl |title=What Really Happened to Michael Rockefeller |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/What-Really-Happened-to-Michael-Rockefeller-180949813/?no-ist=&page=2 |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=Smithsonian Magazine |date=March 2014}}

On 29 May 1969, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Agats was established, with American Alphonse Sowada becoming its first bishop.{{cite web |title=Agats (Latin (or Roman) Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dagat.html |website=catholic-hierarchy.org |access-date=8 March 2019}} The Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress (Museum Kebudayaan dan Kemajuan Asmat) was opened in Agats in 1973. The Asmat Cultural Festival, held annually in the town, began in 1981.{{cite news |title=Asmat Cultural Festival a great initiative |url=https://en.antaranews.com/news/107181/asmat-cultural-festival-a-great-initiative |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=Antara News |date=12 October 2016 |language=id}}

After Asmat became its own regency in 2002, Agats – being its administrative seat – saw a boost in building due to a need for government facilities and an increase of migrants, largely Bugis and Moluccans,{{sfn|Lubis|2017|pp=77–78}} with the annual population growth of Agats being as high as 22 percent between 2005 and 2011 compared to 3 percent for Asmat Regency.{{sfn|Wambrauw|Morgan|2015|p=84}} In recent years, the wooden roads in Agats have begun to be replaced by concrete ones by the regency's government.{{cite news |title=Hebatnya Motor Listrik di Asmat |url=https://kabarpapua.co/hebatnya-motor-listrik-di-asmat/ |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=Kabar Papua |date=4 April 2017 |language=id}}

Following a major famine which struck Asmat Regency, in 2018 Indonesian President Joko Widodo offered to relocate residents of more remote areas to Agats, though the relocation faced significant resistance.{{cite news |last1=Salim |first1=Hanz Jimenez |title=Jokowi Mengaku Kesulitan Pindahkan Penduduk Asmat dari Distrik Terpencil |url=https://www.liputan6.com/news/read/3451991/jokowi-mengaku-kesulitan-pindahkan-penduduk-asmat-dari-distrik-terpencil |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=liputan6.com |date=13 April 2018 |language=id}}

Agats is located on the delta of the Asewets River, in a tidal lowland area.{{sfn|Wambrauw|Morgan|2015|p=73}} Due to this, during high tides the water may rise up to {{convert|5|m}} above sea level, resulting in the unique construction of the town in which all buildings and roads are elevated with wooden, and more recently concrete, structures.{{sfn|Wambrauw|Morgan|2015|p=75}}

Administratively, the urban settlement is located within the kampung of Bis Agats, which had a population of 8,998 in 2016.{{cite web |last1=Statistics Indonesia |title=Kecamatan Agats Dalam Angka 2017 (Agats Subdistrict in Numbers, 2017) |url=https://asmatkab.bps.go.id/publication/2017/09/26/526913d5e7a65964ee06ac87/kecamatan-agats-dalam-angka-2017.html |website=asmatkab.bps.go.id |access-date=5 March 2019 |language=id|p=15}}{{cite web |title=PERATURAN KEPALA BADAN PUSAT STATISTIK NOMOR 37 TAHUN 2010 |url=https://sirusa.bps.go.id/webadmin/doc/MFD_2010_Buku_3.pdf |publisher=Statistics Indonesia |access-date=7 March 2019 |page=779 |archive-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308081329/https://sirusa.bps.go.id/webadmin/doc/MFD_2010_Buku_3.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Agats has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) with very heavy rainfall year-round.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

| location = Agats

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| temperature colour = pastel

| Jan high C = 31.7

| Feb high C = 31.6

| Mar high C = 31.7

| Apr high C = 31.6

| May high C = 31.0

| Jun high C = 29.9

| Jul high C = 29.1

| Aug high C = 29.3

| Sep high C = 30.2

| Oct high C = 31.1

| Nov high C = 32.0

| Dec high C = 31.9

| Jan mean C = 27.2

| Feb mean C = 27.2

| Mar mean C = 27.3

| Apr mean C = 27.3

| May mean C = 26.8

| Jun mean C = 26.0

| Jul mean C = 25.4

| Aug mean C = 25.4

| Sep mean C = 26.0

| Oct mean C = 26.7

| Nov mean C = 27.4

| Dec mean C = 27.5

| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 22.8

| Feb low C = 22.8

| Mar low C = 22.9

| Apr low C = 23.0

| May low C = 22.7

| Jun low C = 22.1

| Jul low C = 21.7

| Aug low C = 21.6

| Sep low C = 21.8

| Oct low C = 22.3

| Nov low C = 22.8

| Dec low C = 23.1

|rain colour= green

|Jan rain mm=308

|Feb rain mm=330

|Mar rain mm=427

|Apr rain mm=414

|May rain mm=420

|Jun rain mm=336

|Jul rain mm=388

|Aug rain mm=420

|Sep rain mm=391

|Oct rain mm=368

|Nov rain mm=284

|Dec rain mm=324

|source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web

|url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/467622/

|title = Climate: Agats

|publisher=Climate-Data.org

|access-date = July 24, 2020}}

}}

Agats is served by pioneer, government-subsidized flights from Merauke and Mimika through the nearby Ewer Airport {{Airport codes|EWE}}, in addition to passenger boats to Timika and Merauke.{{cite news |last1=Feb Janur |first1=Katharina |title=Asmat, Kota Seribu Papan di Atas Rawa |url=https://www.liputan6.com/regional/read/3256086/asmat-kota-seribu-papan-di-atas-rawa |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=liputan6.com |date=4 February 2018 |language=id}} Both the airport and the river port are planned for upgrades in 2019, allowing the airport to take larger ATR aircraft and the river port to take larger "Tol Laut" ships.{{cite news |title=2019, Pesawat ATR Ditargetkan Mendarat di Bandara Ewer Asmat |url=https://regional.kompas.com/read/2018/08/24/21244271/2019-pesawat-atr-ditargetkan-mendarat-di-bandara-ewer-asmat |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=KOMPAS |date=24 August 2018 |language=id}}{{cite news |title=2019, Ditjen Hubdat akan Optimalkan Pembangunan Dermaga Pelabuhan Agats Papua |url=http://beritatrans.com/2018/12/02/2019-ditjen-hubdat-akan-optimalkan-pembangunan-dermaga-pelabuhan-agats-papua/ |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=Berita Trans |date=2 December 2018 |language=id}} Recently introduced electric motorcycles are used for transport in the city, with electrical charging stations run by PLN.{{cite news |last1=Siagian |first1=Wilpret |title=1.920 Motor di Asmat Pakai Tenaga Listrik |url=https://finance.detik.com/energi/d-3856932/1920-motor-di-asmat-pakai-tenaga-listrik |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=detikfinance |date=8 February 2018 |language=id}}

A public hospital is present in Agats.{{cite news |title=Direktur RSUD Agats: Pasien Campak dan Gizi Buruk Berkurang |url=https://www.republika.co.id/berita/nasional/daerah/18/02/06/p3qhn0409-direktur-rsud-agats-pasien-campak-dan-gizi-buruk-berkurang |access-date=7 March 2019 |work=Republika |date=6 February 2018 |language=id}} As the water of the Asewetz next to the town is brackish and polluted, the town largely depends on rainwater and bottled water, in addition to pumped water from another river nearby.{{sfn|Wambrauw|Morgan|2015|pp=75–76}}

File:Icon of Asmat Regency.jpg|Icon of Asmat Regency

File:Mosque of Saiful Bukhori.jpg|Mosque of Saiful Bukhori

File:Salib Suci Cathedral Church.jpg|Salib Suci Cathedral Church, seen in 2014

File:Catholic Cathedral (48296151447).jpg|Interior of Salib Suci cathedral

File:Port of Agats.jpg|Port of Agats

File:Museum Asmat (48280683281).jpg|Exterior of the Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress

File:Spirit Masks (48285842547).jpg|Paper mulberry spirit masks at the Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress

File:Asmat Carving.jpg|Asmat carving at the Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress

File:Male Crocodile (48290419611).jpg|A male crocodile specimen on display at the Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress

File:Asmat Queen Art Shop (48298307186).jpg|Asmat Queen Art Shop

File:Asmat Tribesman (48277997957).jpg|Asmat tribesman in Syuru village at Agats

File:Canoes at Agats (48319987547).jpg|Canoes

File:Agats_Pertamina_(48262469681).jpg|Local office of Indonesian oil company Pertamina

File:Syuru Shop (48293166286).jpg|A shop in Syuru village, Agats

File:Houses on Stilts (48317642201).jpg|A house built on stilts

File:Riverside_Houses_(48268780302).jpg|Homes on the Asewet River.

File:Papuan Woman (48316647987).jpg|Papuan woman

File:Syuru Ceremonial House (48276841927).jpg|Ceremonial house in Syuru village

File:Streetside Shopper (48307501217).jpg|Streetside shopper

File:Wooden Walkways (48274802866).jpg|Wooden walkways in Syuru village

File:Asewet River (48260725561).jpg|Asewet River

File:Javanese Youths (48315043507).jpg|Javanese youths in Agats

File:Vrouw, vermoedelijk te Atsj in het bisdom Agats, KITLV D971.tiff|Woman of Agats, date unknown

File:Papoea, vermoedelijk te Atsj in het bisdom Agats, KITLV D996.tiff|Man of Agats, date unknown

File:Papoea, vermoedelijk te Atsj in het bisdom Agats, KITLV D982.tiff|Man of Agats, date unknown

File:Papoea, vermoedelijk te Atsj in het bisdom Agats, KITLV D992.tiff|Man of Agats, date unknown

File:Papoea, vermoedelijk te Atsj in het bisdom Agats, KITLV D988.tiff|Man of Agats, date unknown

File:Papoea, vermoedelijk te Atsj in het bisdom Agats, KITLV D993.tiff|Man of Agats, date unknown

File:Papoea, vermoedelijk te Atsj in het bisdom Agats, KITLV D998.tiff|Man of Agats, date unknown

{{reflist}}

:{{cite journal |title=Understanding the Differing Realities Experienced by Stakeholders Impacted by the Agats Municipal Water Supply, Papua |journal=Water Utility Journal |date=2015 |volume=11 |pages=73–91 |url=http://www.ewra.net/wuj/pdf/WUJ_2015_11_06.pdf|last1=Wambrauw|first1=Elisabeth Veronika|first2=Te Kipa Kepa Brian|last2=Morgan}}

:{{cite journal|last1=Lubis|first1=Basauli Umar|date=2017|volume=13|title=Agats: The Waterfront City of the Asmat |journal=Nakhara |pages=75–82 |url=http://www.arch.chula.ac.th/nakhara/files/article/K0ZwzaB06JWed85942.pdf}}

Category:Asmat Regency

Category:Regency seats of South Papua

Category:Populated places established in 1938

Category:1938 establishments in the Dutch East Indies

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