Agats

Agats District consists of 12 villages (kampung), namely:

1. Asuwetsy
2. Bis Agats
3. Bisman
4. Bou
5. Briten (Biriten/Beriten)
6. Kaye
7. Mbait
8. Per
9. Saw
10. Suwru
11. Uwus
12. Yamoth (Yomoth)

Though Agats had been populated by the Asmat people for some time, as a largely waterfront settlement, the first non-native settlement originated in the late 1930s when a Catholic mission was established in the area, and later in 1938 the Dutch East Indies government established an outpost there.^[3] Due to the Second World War, however, the Dutch abandoned the Agats post in 1942 due to the Japanese presence.^[4]

In 1953, the Catholic mission was made permanent and the following year the Dutch government of Netherlands New Guinea established a permanent post in Agats, banning headhunting practices. During this period, Asmat woodcarving became popular, with collectors, museum representatives, ethnographers and scientists visiting the area.^[4] One such visitor, Michael Rockefeller, disappeared after departing Agats for Southern Asmat in 1961, and was presumed dead.^[5]

On 29 May 1969, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Agats was established, with American Alphonse Sowada becoming its first bishop.^[6] The Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress (Museum Kebudayaan dan Kemajuan Asmat) was opened in Agats in 1973.^[4] The Asmat Cultural Festival, held annually in the town, began in 1981.^[7]

After Asmat became its own regency in 2002, Agats – being its administrative seat – saw a boost in building due to a need for government facilities and an increase of migrants, largely Bugis and Moluccans,^[8] with the annual population growth of Agats being as high as 22 percent between 2005 and 2011 compared to 3 percent for Asmat Regency.^[9] In recent years, the wooden roads in Agats have begun to be replaced by concrete ones by the regency's government.^[10]

Following a major famine which struck Asmat Regency, in 2018 Indonesian President Joko Widodo offered to relocate residents of more remote areas to Agats, though the relocation faced significant resistance.^[11]

Agats is located on the delta of the Asewets River, in a tidal lowland area.^[12] Due to this, during high tides the water may rise up to 5 metres (16 ft) above sea level, resulting in the unique construction of the town in which all buildings and roads are elevated with wooden, and more recently concrete, structures.^[13]

Administratively, the urban settlement is located within the kampung of Bis Agats, which had a population of 8,998 in 2016.^[14][15]

Agats has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) with very heavy rainfall year-round.