As we know, Indonesia is an archipelago littered with volcanoes – both active and dormant.
As a region in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, Indonesia has many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that occur, as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
One of the highest mounts in Indonesia is Puncak Jaya, which used to be called the Carstensz Pyramid, which stood at 4,884 meters above sea level.
The Indonesian name is Puncak Jaya, while Carstensz Pyramid is the European name, for the first European to sight the mountain, Jan Carstensz. He first saw Puncak Jaya on a sailing journey in 1623.
It’s the highest summit of Mount Jayawijaya or Mount Carstensz, located within the Lorentz National Park in West Papua.
Lorentz National Park is the largest national park in South East Asia and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.
Puncak Jaya is notable for being one of the few tropical or equatorial mountains in the world with glaciers. The Carstensz glacier and the Northwall Firn glaciers have shrunk in recent years due to climate change.
Puncak Jaya is part of the Seven Summits challenge in mountaineering.
The Seven Summit challenge is a challenge where mountaineers climb the tallest mountain on every continent. Puncak Jaya has considered one of the most technically difficult of the Seven Summit climbs despite having the lowest elevation.
Since Puncak Jaya is geographically part of Oceania, many people consider it as the highest peak of Oceania.
