Sorong

Sorong may refer to:

Sorong (city)

Sorong is a chartered coastal city in the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua. Its only land borders are with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia's Raja Ampat Islands, species rich coral reef islands in an area considered the heart of the world's coral reef biodiversity. It also is the logistics hub for Indonesia's thriving eastern oil and gas frontier. Sorong has experienced exponential growth in the last five years, and further growth is anticipated as Sorong becomes linked by road to other frontier towns in Papua's Bird's Head Peninsula. The city has a population of 190,625 at the 2010 Census; the latest official estimate (as at January 2014) is 219,958. It is served by the Sorong Airport.

Administrative Districts

Sorong City comprises six districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their populations at the 2010 Census:

Etymology

The origin of Sorong's name comes from the word Soren, which means "deep and wavy ocean" in Biak language. The name was first used by the Biak-Numfor people who sailed to different islands before they finally decided to settle down in Raja Ampat Islands. When the Biak-Numfor people came to the place called "Daratan Maladum", they decided to call it Soren. After centuries of contact with Chinese merchants, European missionaries, and people from Maluku and Sangihe-Talaud, the name underwent further change into Sorong.