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A regional and former province of Indonesia occupying the western half of New Guinea and about 12 offshore islands. Before it was ceded to Indonesia by the Netherlands in 1963, it was known as Dutch New Guinea. It was renamed Irian Jaya in 1973 and split into smaller provinces in the early 21st century.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
