Ialibu is a town in the Southern Highlands 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...

, serving as the headquarters for the Ialibu-Pangia District

Ialibu-Pangia District

Ialibu-Pangia District is a district of the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Ialibu. The population was 50,243 at the 2000 census....

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Culture

Ialibuans are known for their weaving and selling vegetable baskets. This is one of the many ways which many rural people earn a living.

The Ialibu Museum was established in the 1990s. Languages spoken in the district are Kewabi and Imbongu.

Some of the respected and notable personalities who have shaped Ialibu are Turi Wari, Mr Undi Nandi, Roy Yaki, Patrick Rama, Ame Bote, Yer Kale, Lepilepi Kawa, Fabian Yapa, Raphael Noipo and Pawa Kombea.

Communications and Transportation

Ialibu is connected by roads to the rest of the world. Ialibu does have a certified airstrip which is yet to be operational. The nearest airports are Mendi Airport and Mt Hagen Airport both about an hour from Ialibu Station. Radio stations are available and mobile phone and landline phones are provided by Telikom PNG and DIGICEL. The national television station, EM TV

EM TV

EM TV is a commercial television station in Papua New Guinea. Until the launch of the National Television Service in September 2008, it was the country's only free to air television service....

 is broadcasted throughout Ialibu.

Sports

Popular sports in Ialibu are Rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

, Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 and Touch Rugby

Touch rugby

Touch rugby, Refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle in the traditional, highly physical way, but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball....

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Landmarks and Attractions

The most significant landmark feature is the Telikom PNG telecommunication tower. It is situated in the middle of the administration center. It is also home to Mount Ialibu and Mount Giluwe

Mount Giluwe

Mount Giluwe is the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea at . It is located in the Southern Highlands province and is an old shield volcano with vast alpine grasslands. Ancient volcanic plugs form its two summits, with the central peak the highest and an east peak about away at...

, which the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea and a tourist attraction.

Health and education

The Ialibu District Hospital offers services to the Ialibu, Pangia, Kagua and Erave people. There is only one general practitioner here despite the fact that there is position for two medical officers. There are several nursing staff at the hospital. the common illnesses seen at the hospital are medical conditions including pneumonia, tuberculosis, malaria, asthma, COAD,as well as other infective conditions. The hospital also provides paediatrics care and obstetrics care as well. Life style diseases like essential hypertension and diabetes mellitus are a rising problem in this are. Major cases the GP cannot manage are referred by car to the Mt. Hagen General Hospital.The hospital is state run.

Schools in the district include Ialibu Secondary School, St Clare Primary School, Ialibu Admin Primary School and Ialibu Lutheran Community School.

Surrounding Villages

The villages nearby Ialibu are Yameyame, Koromi, Lama, Pale, Yarena, Ponowi, Yombi, Karanas, Isele, Mungumapu, Mondada, Kendayamo (Kendgal), Kuyopulu, Koraipe, Kengaro, Pilipili Island (PSP), Kokola, Pope, Kou, Maral, Kirene, Walume, Orei and Kaupena, and many more exciting places to visit.

The people from these places share two common local languages and they are; imboungu and Kewabi. Imboungu is mainly spoken by central Ialibu and extends to Mt Hagen and Mendi whereas Kewabi is spoken by people living further east towards Kagua and Pangia.