Portal:New Guinea
The New Guinea Portal
Introduction
Native name: Papua, Niugini, Niu Gini | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Location | Oceania (Melanesia) |
| Archipelago | Melanesia and Malay Archipelago |
| Area | 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 2nd |
New Guinea (Tok Pisin: Niugini; Hiri Motu: Niu Gini; Indonesian: Papua, fossilized Nugini, also known as Papua or historically Irian) is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). It has the third-largest remaining rainforest globally, and the highest plant biodiversity of any island. (Full article...)
Papua New Guinea (PNG), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. It has a land border with Indonesia to the west and maritime borders with Australia to the south and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital is Port Moresby. The country's 462,840 km2 (178,700 mi2) includes a large mainland and hundreds of islands. (Full article...)
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region is also called West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat). It is one of the seven geographical units of Indonesia in ISO 3166-2:ID. (Full article...)
Selected article -
The Independent State of Papua New Guinea and the People's Republic of China (PRC) established official diplomatic relations in 1976, soon after Papua New Guinea became independent. The two countries currently maintain diplomatic, economic and, to a lesser degree, military relations. Relations are cordial; China is a significant provider of both investments and development aid to Papua New Guinea.
The current ambassador of Papua New Guinea in China is Don Sawong. The current ambassador of China in Papua New Guinea is Zeng Fanhua. (Full article...)
The Fly River is the third longest river on the island of New Guinea, after the Sepik and Mamberamo, with a total length of 1,060 km (660 mi). It is the largest by volume of discharge in Oceania, the largest in the world without a single dam in its catchment, and overall the 23rd-largest primary river in the world by discharge volume. It is located in the southwest of Papua New Guinea and in the South Papua province of Indonesia. It rises in the Victor Emanuel Range arm of the Star Mountains, and crosses the south-western lowlands before flowing into the Gulf of Papua in a large delta. The Fly–Strickland River system has a total length of 1,224 km (761 mi), making it the longest river system of an island in the world. The 824 km (512 mi) Strickland is the longest and largest tributary of Fly River, making it the farthest distance source of the Fly River. (Full article...)
Farmland in Papua New Guinea
Agriculture in Papua New Guinea has more than a 7,000 years old history, and developed out of pre-agricultural plant/food collecting and cultivation traditions of local hunter-gatherers. Currently around 85% of Papua New Guinea's population lives from semi-subsistence agriculture. 86% of all food energy consumed in Papua New Guinea is locally sourced.
Papua New Guinea produces and exports agricultural, timber, and fish products. Agriculture in 2017 accounted for 22.1% of the GDP and supported more than 80% of the population. Cash crops ranked by value are coffee, oil, cocoa, copra, tea, rubber, and sugar. The timber industry was not active in 1998, due to low world prices, but rebounded in 1999. About 40% of the country is covered with timber rich trees, and a domestic woodworking industry has been slow to develop. 99% of fishing exports are either tuna or tuna byproduct. Papua New Guinea has the largest yam market in Asia. (Full article...)
The Ok Tedi is a river in New Guinea. The Ok Tedi Mine is located near the headwaters of the river, which is sourced in the Star Mountains. It is the second largest tributary of the Fly River. Nearly the entirety of the Ok Tedi runs through the North Fly District of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, but the river crosses the international boundary with Indonesia for less than one kilometre. The largest settlement of the Western Province, Tabubil is located near its banks. (Full article...)
The Battle of Bita Paka (11 September 1914) was fought south of Kabakaul, on the island of New Britain, and was a part of the invasion and subsequent occupation of German New Guinea by the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. Similar to New Zealand's operation against German Samoa in August, the main target of the operation was a strategically important wireless station—one of several used by the German East Asia Squadron—which the Australians believed to be located in the area. The powerful German naval fleet threatened British interests and its elimination was an early priority of the British and Australian governments during the war.
After an unopposed landing, a mixed force of German reservists and half-trained Melanesian police mounted a stout resistance and forced the Australians to fight their way to the objective. After a day of fighting during which both sides suffered casualties, Australian forces captured the wireless station at Bita Paka. The battle was Australia's first major military engagement of the war and the only significant action of the campaign; in its aftermath the remaining German forces on New Britain fled inland to Toma. Following a brief siege there the German garrison capitulated, ending resistance to the Australian occupation of the island. (Full article...)
West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat), formerly Irian Jaya Barat (West Irian), is an Indonesian province located in Indonesia Papua. It covers most of the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea: the eastern half of the Bird's Head Peninsula (or Doberai Peninsula) and the whole of the Bomberai Peninsula, along with nearby smaller islands. The province is bordered to the north by the Pacific Ocean; to the west by Southwest Papua Province, the Halmahera Sea and the Ceram Sea; to the south by the Banda Sea; and to the east by the province of Central Papua and the Cenderawasih Bay. Manokwari is the province's capital and largest city. With an estimated population of 587,645 in mid-2025 (comprising 308,424 males and 279,221 females), West Papua is the second-least-populous province in Indonesia after South Papua, following the separation off in December 2022 of the western half of the Bird's Head Peninsula to create the new province of Southwest Papua, containing 52% of what had been West Papua's population. Its population density is similar to that of Russia.
After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the Dutch remained in New Guinea until 1962 when they transferred the control of the region to the Indonesian government as a part of the New York Agreement. West Papua was legally created as a province in 1999 (out of the original Papua Province), but it was not inaugurated until 2003. Consisting until 2022 of twelve regencies and one city, the province has a special autonomous status as granted by Indonesian legislation.
West Papua has a medium Human Development Index. The Indonesian government has launched the building of ambitious infrastructure projects including the Trans-Papua Highway, airports, and other facilities. Detractors claim that these projects threaten Southeast Asia's and Oceania's last large regions of tropical rainforests and native cultures. According to Bank Indonesia, West Papua recorded an economic growth rate of 7.7% during 2018, which is higher than the national economic growth. (Full article...)
Highlands Highway in Eastern Highlands Province
The Highlands Highway, sometimes known as the Okuk Highway, is the main land highway in Papua New Guinea. It connects several major cities and is vital for the movement of people and goods between the populous Highlands region and the coast.
For most of its length the Highlands Highway is no more than a single carriageway two-lane road that is often hindered by potholes and land slips. It is also notorious, particularly in the Highlands region, for being the place of numerous armed hold-ups and robberies committed by local bandits called raskols. (Full article...)
The invasion of Salamaua–Lae (8–13 March 1942), called Operation SR by the Japanese, was an operation by Imperial Japanese forces to occupy the Salamaua–Lae area in the Territory of New Guinea during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The Japanese invaded and occupied the location in order to construct an airfield and establish a base to cover and support the advance of Japanese forces into the eastern New Guinea and Coral Sea areas. As the Japanese arrived, the tiny Australian garrison in the region retreated and did not oppose the invasion.
In response to the Japanese landings, a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force including the carriers Yorktown and Lexington struck the invading Japanese naval forces with carrier aircraft on 10 March. Supporting the carrier aircraft were eight B-17 bombers of the 435th Bombardment Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group from Garbutt Field, Townsville, Australia and eight Royal Australian Air Force Hudson bombers of No. 32 Squadron from Port Moresby, New Guinea. The raid sank three transports and damaged several other ships.
In spite of the losses sustained during the air raid, Japanese forces successfully occupied Lae and Salamaua and began the construction of a base and airfield. Air units based at the airfield later supported an air superiority campaign against Allied forces at Port Moresby. In July 1942 after the Japanese abandoned plans to invade Port Moresby from the sea, the base at Salamaua–Lae supported the ultimately unsuccessful Japanese land offensive towards Port Moresby along the Kokoda Track. (Full article...)
The Sulu Range is a small volcanic mountain range on the Papua New Guinean island of New Britain. It consists of a group of partially overlapping small stratovolcanoes and lava domes, with the highest point being 610 m (2,000 ft) Mount Malopu at the southwestern end of the range. Kaiamu, a maar at the northwestern end of the Sulu Range, forms a peninsula with a small lake extending about 1 km (0.62 mi) into Bangula Bay. Other volcanoes in the range include Mount Ululu, Mount Ruckenberg, Mount Talutu and Mount Ubia.
The Sulu Range consists of volcanic rocks ranging in composition from basaltic-to-rhyolitic. Eruptions are not known to have occurred from the range in recorded history, although some of the cones are relatively undissected, implying that there may have been eruptions throughout the Holocene. Volcanic unrest in 2006 resulted in the creation of a vigorous new fumarolic vent, which was preceded by vegetation die-off, seismicity and dust-producing landslides.
On the coastal plain west of the southwest base of the Sulu Range lies the Walo hydrothermal area, which consists of solfataras and mudpots. The fumaroles in this hydrothermal area have been used by locals for cooking food. (Full article...)
The Huon Peninsula campaign was a series of battles fought in north-eastern Papua New Guinea in 1943–1944 during the Second World War. The campaign formed the initial part of an offensive that the Allies launched in the Pacific in late 1943 and resulted in the Japanese being pushed north from Lae to Sio on the northern coast of New Guinea over the course of a four-month period. For the Australians, a significant advantage was gained through the technological edge that Allied industry had achieved over the Japanese by this phase of the war, while the Japanese were hampered by a lack of supplies and reinforcements due to Allied interdiction efforts at sea and in the air.
The campaign was preceded by an amphibious landing by troops from the Australian 9th Division east of Lae on 4 September 1943. This was followed by an advance west along the coast towards the town where they were to link up with 7th Division advancing from Nadzab. Meanwhile, Australian and US forces mounted diversionary attacks around Salamaua. Heavy rain and flooding slowed the 9th Division's advance, which had to cross several rivers along the way. The Japanese rear guard also put up a stiff defence and, as a result, Lae did not fall until 16 September, when troops from the 7th Division entered it ahead of the 9th, and the main body of the Japanese force escaped north. Less than a week later, the Huon Peninsula campaign was opened as the Australians undertook another amphibious landing further east, aimed at capturing Finschhafen.
Following the landing at Scarlet Beach, the Allies set about moving south to secure Finschhafen, which saw fighting around Jivevaneng also. In mid-October, the Japanese launched a counterattack against the Australian beachhead around Scarlet Beach, which lasted for about a week and resulted in a small contraction of the Australian lines and a splitting of their force before it was defeated. After this, the Australians regained the initiative and began to pursue the Japanese who withdrew inland towards the high ground around Sattelberg. Amidst heavy fighting and a second failed Japanese counterattack, Sattelberg was secured in late November and the Australians began an area advance to the north to secure a line between Wareo and Gusika. This was completed by early December, and was followed by an advance by Australian forces along the coast through Lakona to Fortification Point, overcoming strong Japanese forces fighting delaying actions. (Full article...)
The Porgera Gold Mine is a large gold and silver mining operation near Porgera, Enga province, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Located at the head of the Porgera Valley, The mine is situated in the rain forest covered highlands at an altitude of 2,200 to 2,700 m, in a region of high rainfall, landslides, and frequent earthquakes.
The Porgera Gold Mine closed in April 2020, following the end of its special mining lease. Extensive negotiations for a new special mining lease were concluded in 2023 and the reopening of the mine was announced in December 2023, with first production expected in the first quarter of 2024.
The new special mining lease was finally issued to New Porgera Limited, an entity 51% owned by PNG stakeholders (including state-owned Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited, local landowners and the Enga provincial government), and 49% by Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL), itself a joint venture between Barrick Gold and Zijin Mining of China. (Full article...)
The Panguna mine is a large, inactive copper mine located in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, formerly operated by Bougainville Copper Ltd. Panguna represents one of the largest copper reserves in Papua New Guinea and in the world, having an estimated remaining reserve of 5.3 billion tonnes of ore copper and almost 20 million ounces of gold.
The mine has been closed since 1989, with proposals for reopening having been made since. (Full article...)
Rabaul (/rɑːˈbaʊl/) is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 km (370 mi) to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash from a volcanic eruption in its harbor. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air, and the subsequent rain of ash caused 80% of the buildings in Rabaul to collapse. After the eruption the capital was moved to Kokopo, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) away. Rabaul is continually threatened by volcanic activity, because it is on the edge of the Rabaul caldera, a flooded caldera of a large pyroclastic shield volcano.
Rabaul was planned and built around the harbour area known as Simpsonhafen (Simpson Harbour) during the German New Guinea administration, which controlled the region from 1884 and formally through 1919. Rabaul was selected as the capital of the German New Guinea administration in 1905, and the administrative offices were transferred there in 1910. Rabaul was captured by the British Empire during the early days of World War I. It became the capital of the Australian-mandated Territory of New Guinea until 1937, when it was first destroyed by a volcano. During World War II, it was captured by Japan in 1942 and became its main base of military and naval activity in the South Pacific. Settlements and military installations around the edge of the caldera are often collectively called Rabaul, although the old town of Rabaul was reduced to practical insignificance by the volcanic eruption in 1937.
As a tourist destination, Rabaul is popular for its volcanoes, scuba diving and for snorkelling sites, spectacular harbour and other scenery, World War II history, flora and fauna, and the cultural life of the Tolai people. Before the 1994 eruption, Rabaul was a popular commercial and recreational boating destination; fewer private small craft visit now, but 10 to 12 cruise ships visit Rabaul each year, including the Queen Elizabeth, carrying up to 2,000 passengers. Tourism is a major industry in Rabaul and East New Britain generally. (Full article...)
The Republic of West Papua (Indonesian: Republik Papua Barat), alternatively known as the Federal Republic of West Papua (Indonesian: Republik Federal Papua Barat, RFPB) is a proposed state consisting of the Western New Guinea region, which is currently part of Indonesia on the continent of Oceania. The region has been part of Indonesia since 1 May 1963 under several names in the following order, West Irian, Irian Jaya, and Papua. Today the region comprises six Indonesian provinces: Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, West Papua, and Southwest Papua.
The self-determination rights of the West Papuan people are supported by Ghana, South Africa, Pacific Islands Forum countries, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu with the Parliament of Vanuatu passing the Wantok Blong Yumi Bill (Our Close Friends Bill) in 2010, officially declaring that Vanuatu's foreign policy is to support the achievement of the independence of West Papua. The parliament has proposed requesting that West Papua be granted observer status at the Melanesian Spearhead Group and Pacific Islands Forum.
The Republic of West Papua has been a member state of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) since the organization's founding in 1991. (Full article...)
Kokopo is the capital of East New Britain Province in Papua New Guinea. It is administered under Kokopo/Vunamami Urban LLG. The capital was moved from Rabaul in 1994 when the volcanoes Tavurvur and Vulcan erupted. As a result, the population of the town increased more than sixfold from 3,150 in 1990 to 20,262 in 2000.
Kokopo was known as Herbertshöhe (Herbert's Heights), named in honour of Herbert, eldest son of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, during the German New Guinea administration, which controlled the area between 1884 and formally until 1919. Until 1910, it was the capital of German New Guinea.
On Sunday, March 29, 2015, a strong earthquake, of a preliminary magnitude of at least 7.5, which at that time was the largest earthquake of 2015, was recorded near Kokopo, and a tsunami warning was issued. This was surpassed a month later by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, which measured a magnitude 7.8. (Full article...)
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Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that inland fisheries in Papua New Guinea are used by more than half of people living in the mountainous Highlands Region?
- ... that artifacts of Papua New Guinean art were called "living spirits with fixed abodes"?
- ... that Sudjarwo Tjondronegoro advanced Indonesia's claim to Western New Guinea in the United Nations, and later accepted control over the territory?
- ... that Nancy Sullivan and ten other activists were sued by the Papua New Guinean government as retribution for opposing the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone?
- ... that the Papua New Guinean government almost ran out of foreign exchange reserves during a financial crisis in 1994?
- ... that the 11.7 million people of Papua New Guinea speak more than 800 languages?
General images -
The following are images from various New Guinea-related articles on Wikipedia.
Dutch colonial civil servant in the Baliem Valley, 1958 (from Western New Guinea)
Dutch expeditions in Netherlands New Guinea 1907–1915. (from Western New Guinea)
Australian forces attack Japanese positions during the Battle of Buna–Gona, 7 January 1943. (from History of Papua New Guinea)
New Guinea Volunteer Rifles with captured Japanese flag, 1942 (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Australian patrol officer in 1964 (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Hoisting the German flag at Mioko in 1884 (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Sentani International Airport in Jayapura is the principal point of entry to Papua (from Western New Guinea)
Rp 0.12 Indonesian stamp of 1963. (from Western New Guinea)
Australian troops at Milne Bay, Papua.The Australian garrison was the first to inflict defeat on the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II at the Battle of Milne Bay of Aug–Sep 1942. (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Fishing boats in Biak (from Western New Guinea)
Kerepunu women at the marketplace of Kalo, British New Guinea, 1885 (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Handover ceremony of West Irian Governorship from Jan Bonay to Frans Kaisiepo, 1965 (from Western New Guinea)
The raggiana bird-of-paradise is native to New Guinea. (from New Guinea)
Group of natives at Mairy Pass, mainland of British New Guinea, 1885 (from New Guinea)
Flag under German control of New Guinea. (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Political divisions of New Guinea (2006) (from New Guinea)
Youtefa Bridge, currently the longest bridge in Papua (from Western New Guinea)
Grasberg Mine in Mimika Regency. Mining is the most important sector in the province (from Western New Guinea)
Since 2002, display of Morning Star flag is allowed in West Papua only if accompanied by, and not raised higher than, the flag of Indonesia. (from Western New Guinea)
Papeda, a notable dish originating from Eastern Indonesia (from Western New Guinea)
Highlands of Papua New Guinea (from New Guinea)
Yali Mabel, Kurulu Village War Chief at Baliem Valley (from New Guinea)
A 1644 map of New Guinea and the surrounding area (from New Guinea)
West Papuan separatists raising the Morning-Star flag in the jungles of Papua, 1971 (from Western New Guinea)
Paradisaea apoda, native to Papua, displaying its feathers (from Western New Guinea)
Fort Du Bus in 1828 (from Western New Guinea)
New Guinea from 1884 to 1919. The Netherlands controlled the western half of New Guinea, Germany the north-eastern part, and Britain (later on Australia) the south-eastern part. (from New Guinea)
The rugged and mountainous topography of Western New Guinea. (from Western New Guinea)
Port Moresby, the most populous city on the island of New Guinea (Papua) (from New Guinea)
The king bird-of-paradise is one of over 300 bird species on the peninsula. (from Western New Guinea)
New Guinea crocodile (from New Guinea)
A Japanese military map of New Guinea from 1943 (from New Guinea)
A map of British and German New Guinea before the First World War, with a stamp noting it was lent to the Paris Peace Conference following the war (from History of Papua New Guinea)
The floristic region of Malesia (from New Guinea)
The continent of Sahul before the rising ocean sundered Australia and New Guinea after the last ice age (from New Guinea)
The Sukarno-era West Irian Liberation Monument in Lapangan Banteng, Jakarta. (from Western New Guinea)- New Guinea from 1884 to 1919. Germany and Britain controlled the eastern half of New Guinea. (from History of Papua New Guinea)
British flag raised after Queensland declared it was annexing part of the island in 1883 (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Papuans on the Lorentz River, photographed during the third South New Guinea expedition in 1912–13 (from New Guinea)
A section of Trans-Papua Highway connecting Deiyai and Mimika in Central Papua (from Western New Guinea)
Female gable image, Sawos people, Oceanic art in the Bishop Museum (from History of Papua New Guinea)
Yali in the Yahukimo Regency (from Western New Guinea)![Image 50M.S. Rumagesan, Silas Papare, N.L.Suwages, Soegoro Atmoprasodjo [id], and A.H. Nasution in Putra-putra Irian Barat ('Sons of Irian Barat') Conference in Cibogo Bogor, 14–15 April 1961 (from Western New Guinea)](https://en.wikipedia.org//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/MS_Rumagesan%2C_Silas_Papare%2C_NL_Suwages%2C_Sugoro%2C_dan_AH_Nasution_berbincang-bincang%2C_Konferensi_Cibogo.jpg/120px-MS_Rumagesan%2C_Silas_Papare%2C_NL_Suwages%2C_Sugoro%2C_dan_AH_Nasution_berbincang-bincang%2C_Konferensi_Cibogo.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=parser&utm_content=thumbnail)
M.S. Rumagesan, Silas Papare, N.L.Suwages, Soegoro Atmoprasodjo, and A.H. Nasution in Putra-putra Irian Barat ('Sons of Irian Barat') Conference in Cibogo Bogor, 14–15 April 1961 (from Western New Guinea)
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![Image 50M.S. Rumagesan, Silas Papare, N.L.Suwages, Soegoro Atmoprasodjo [id], and A.H. Nasution in Putra-putra Irian Barat ('Sons of Irian Barat') Conference in Cibogo Bogor, 14–15 April 1961 (from Western New Guinea)](https://kapook.pages.dev/bl-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Rumagesan,_Silas_Papare,_NL_Suwages,_Sugoro,_dan_AH_Nasution_berbincang-bincang,_Konferensi_Cibogo.jpg)
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In the news
- 16 July 2026 – Papua New Guinea–Taiwan relations
- Taiwan says that its representative office in Port Moresby will continue operating and assisting Taiwanese nationals, rejecting Papua New Guinea's decision to close it and stating that the move was made without prior consultation. Papuan foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko says that his ministry informed Taiwan of the closure "weeks ago". (AFP via The Straits Times)
- 15 July 2026 – Papua New Guinea–Taiwan relations
- Papuan foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko announces the immediate closure of Taiwan's representative office in Port Moresby, citing Papua New Guinea's adherence to the One China policy, while saying the decision does not affect contracts between Taiwan's CPC Corporation and natural gas in Papua New Guinea. (AFP via The Straits Times)
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