Daru Island
Encyclopedia
Daru Island is an island
in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea
, the town
on the island goes by the same name and is the capital of the Province, housing the vast majority of its population of 20,524 (2009). It is elliptical in shape, with dimensions of 5.0 by 3.7 km², 14.7 km² in area, and up to 27 meters high. The island is separated from the mainland in the north, specifically the mouth of Oriomo River, by the 3.5 km wide Daru Roads. The shortest distance to larger Bristow Island (also called Bobo Island) in the south is 1.3 km.
Daru Island is one of the few of the Torres Strait Islands
that do not belong to Australia
, but to Papua New Guinea
, and it is the most highly populated of all Torres Strait Islands, although scarcely any original Torres Strait Islanders
live on the island. The main industry on the island is fishing
although only a few fisheries are locally owned. The island has an international airport which is mainly used by Australian aircraft chartered by mining companies for customs clearance or to pick up jet fuel.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, the town
Daru
Daru is the capital of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. The township is entirely located on an island that goes by the same name, which is located near the mouth of the Fly River on the western side of the Gulf, just north of Torres Strait and Far North Queensland...
on the island goes by the same name and is the capital of the Province, housing the vast majority of its population of 20,524 (2009). It is elliptical in shape, with dimensions of 5.0 by 3.7 km², 14.7 km² in area, and up to 27 meters high. The island is separated from the mainland in the north, specifically the mouth of Oriomo River, by the 3.5 km wide Daru Roads. The shortest distance to larger Bristow Island (also called Bobo Island) in the south is 1.3 km.
Daru Island is one of the few of the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
that do not belong to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but to Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, and it is the most highly populated of all Torres Strait Islands, although scarcely any original Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. They are culturally and genetically linked to Melanesian peoples and those of Papua New Guinea....
live on the island. The main industry on the island is fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
although only a few fisheries are locally owned. The island has an international airport which is mainly used by Australian aircraft chartered by mining companies for customs clearance or to pick up jet fuel.