The Pulau River is a major river in South Papua province of Indonesia, with a total length of 674 km.

Name

It was previously known as the Eilanden River based on Dutch colonial expedition maps, and was still shown with this name on some government maps in the 2010s.

Geography

The Pulau River has its source in the Jayawijaya Mountains near Puncak Mandala, around 4,000 m in elevation. It flows south out of the mountains, and then follows a south-southwesterly course to the Arafura Sea on the Casuarina Coast. Important tributaries include the Baliem (formerly Vriendschaps), Wildeman, Kampung and Brazza.

Hydrology

The river flows in the southern area of Western New Guinea with predominantly a tropical rainforest climate (designated as Af in the Köppen-Geiger climate classification). The annual average temperature in the area is 22 °C. The warmest month is January, when the average temperature is around 24 °C, and the coldest is June, at 20 °C. The average annual rainfall is 3,997-5547 mm. The wettest month is May, with an average of 594 mm rainfall, and the driest is July, with 384 mm rainfall.

Discharge

• Monthly flow (Q) m3/s:

Tributaries