Sudirman Mountains

Sudirman Mountains, mountain range in eastern Indonesia, in the province of Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), which lies on the western half of the island of New Guinea. The Sudirmans run about 320 km (200 mi) from west to east and lie south of the main spine of the Maoke Mountains, of which the Sudirmans are a part. The Maoke form the bulk of the rugged highlands of Papua.

The mountains were created by folding and rising of tectonic plates during the Tertiary Period (from 65 million to 1.6 million years ago). Near the end of the Tertiary Period, in the Pliocene Epoch (from about 5.3 million to 1.6 million years ago), there was strong volcanic activity, especially in the western part of the ranges. At that time, the area was still joined with Australia, until uplift after the Pliocene pushed New Guinea and Australia apart.

The Sudirman Mountains are home to Puncak Jaya, formerly Mount Carstensz, which at 5,030 m (16,503 ft) is the highest mountain in Indonesia. Pilimsit, measuring 4,800 m (15,748 ft) and Ubia, measuring 4,234 m (13,891 ft), are also in the range. The range is named after General Sudirman (Soedirman), a leader of the fight for independence against the Dutch in the 1940s.