Madang Province
Encyclopedia
Madang is a province on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea
. The province has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcano
es and its biggest mix of language
s. The capital is the town of Madang
.
mainland has extended through the past 50,000 years, and although as yet unproven one would presume this figure to be true for this region also. Scientists have found evidence of human settlement 12,000 to 15,000 years ago near Simbai. In the past 6,000 years sailor
s ultimately originating from around Taiwan
have traversed this area, leaving their mark in the Austronesian languages which are unevenly distributed along the coastline amongst the Papuan language villages.
The Yabob and Bilbil people used big sailing canoes to trade their pots from Karkar Island
to western Morobe
. They were part of the Vitiaz Strait
trade network. Bundi was the centre of trade between Astrolabe Bay
and the Highlands. Trade involved shells, salt
, clay pots and wooden bowl
s from the lowland
s and stone axe
s, feather
s and women from the Asaro, Simbu and Jimi
valleys.
s. The province totals 29,000 square kilometres and has a population
of 365,106 (2000 census).
To the south lies the Bismarck Range
with heights ranging over 4,000 metres. Mount Wilhelm
, PNG's tallest mountain at 4509m, being found in those ranges. Also in the south, the Ramu Valley separates the Bismarck Range from the Finisterre Range
to the south east of the province. The mountains are timber
rich with large stands of trees and rainforest
, whilst the coastal plain
of the vallery is open and studded with palm trees.
The Bismarck Sea
laps the northern coast of the region is fed by the larger Ramu
, Sogeram
, Gogol
and Malas River
s.
Offshore islands in the sea are, in some cases, volcanic, with Karkar
, Bagabag
and Manam
being notable. In 2004/2005 the population of Manam Island was evacuated due to an eruption of the volcano. Bagabag and Karkar have had no major volcanic activities in recent years. This active volcanic region is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire
and has created crater lake
s, smoking volcanic cones and black sand
beaches.
The Madang province receives ample rainfall (3.2 metres in Madang itself) with the months of November to June being the wettest.
al diversity, this province also has a very diverse culture as well. Tall lithe coastal people from Karkar Island
, short nuggety highlands men from Simbai and river people from the Ramu.
Many Madang area costumes include bamboo
frames decorated with the very common cockatoo
and parrot
feathers as birds of paradise are relatively uncommon. The Ramu people are prolific carvers and the lower Ramu has cultural links with the villages of the artistically diverse Sepik River region. It is interesting to note that the resurgence of cultural festivals (i.e. Maborasa Festival) has seen many people donning the fantastic traditional dress, feathers and paints of their ancestors.
Foods eaten include those grown in fertile coastal garden
s, shellfish
and fish
, fruit
, green vegetables, banana
s, taro
, sweet potato
and yams
which relish dry soil
s. Sago
is a staple of the Ramu river people especially in its lower reaches. The mountain people have very good gardens with excellent produce.
and Bilbil languages are examples of this. Inland, the Katiati, Hinihon and Saki
and languages are examples of Papuan
(non-Austronesian) languages found in the region. The Ramu river languages include Gamei, Giri, Tangu, Romkun and Igana and the Rai Coast languages include Somau Garia and Usino. The volcanic island of Karkar is unusual in that it is shared by the Papuan language Waskia and the Austronesian language Takia
.
and second producer of cattle
. Ramu Sugar, Coconut Oil Production Manang Ltd and Jant/Gogol woodchip mill are amongst PNG's biggest employers. Most areas are still far from transport and undeveloped.
purposes, the LLG areas are subdivided into wards and those into census units.
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 province has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
es and its biggest mix of language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s. The capital is the town of Madang
Madang
Madang is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century....
.
History
Human contact with the New GuineaNew Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
mainland has extended through the past 50,000 years, and although as yet unproven one would presume this figure to be true for this region also. Scientists have found evidence of human settlement 12,000 to 15,000 years ago near Simbai. In the past 6,000 years sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s ultimately originating from around Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
have traversed this area, leaving their mark in the Austronesian languages which are unevenly distributed along the coastline amongst the Papuan language villages.
Karkar Island
Karkar Island is an oval-shaped volcanic island located in the Bismarck Sea, about 30 kilometres off the north coast of mainland Papua New Guinea in Madang Province. The island is about 25 km in length and 19 km in width. In the centre is an active volcano with two nested calderas...
to western Morobe
Morobe, Papua New Guinea
Morobe is a small coastal village located in Morobe Bay, in the south of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.-History:An administrative post for the protectorate of German New Guinea, it was occupied by Australian troops of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force in 1914 during World...
. They were part of the Vitiaz Strait
Vitiaz Strait
Vitiaz Strait is a strait between New Britain and the Huon Peninsula, northern New Guinea .The Vitiaz Strait was so named by Nicholai Nicholaievich Mikluho-Maklai to commemorate the Russian corvette Vitiaz in which he sailed from October 1870 by way of South America and the Pacific Islands reaching...
trade network. Bundi was the centre of trade between Astrolabe Bay
Astrolabe Bay
Astrolabe Bay is a large body of water off the south coast of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, located at . It is a part of the Bismarck Sea and stretches from the Cape Iris in the south to the Cape Croisilles to the north. It was discovered in 1827 by Jules Dumont d'Urville and named after his...
and the Highlands. Trade involved shells, salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, clay pots and wooden bowl
Bowl (vessel)
A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...
s from the lowland
Lowland
In physical geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level. The term is thus applied to the landward portion of the upward slope from oceanic depths to continental highlands, to a region of depression in the interior of a mountainous region, to a plain of denudation, or...
s and stone axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s, feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s and women from the Asaro, Simbu and Jimi
Jimi Valley
Jimi Valley is one of the remote districts of Western Highlands Province, in Papua New Guinea. The valley itself stretches from the northeast corner of the district and into Madang Province...
valleys.
Geography
Madang Province is a large region approximately 300 kilometres long and 160 kilometres wide with four large and many small offshore islandIsland
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...
s. The province totals 29,000 square kilometres and has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 365,106 (2000 census).
To the south lies the Bismarck Range
Bismarck Range
The Bismarck Range is a mountain range in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea. The range is named after the German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. From the 1880s to 1914 this part of the island was a German colony....
with heights ranging over 4,000 metres. Mount Wilhelm
Mount Wilhelm
Mount Wilhelm is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea at . It is part of the Bismarck Range and the peak is the point where three provinces intersect, Simbu, Western Highlands and Madang...
, PNG's tallest mountain at 4509m, being found in those ranges. Also in the south, the Ramu Valley separates the Bismarck Range from the Finisterre Range
Finisterre Range
Finisterre Range is a mountain range in north-eastern Papua New Guinea, at . The unnamed highest point of the range , which is ranked 45th in the world by prominence, is usually quoted at 4,175 m, but SRTM data suggests that it is nearer to 4,120 m...
to the south east of the province. The mountains are timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
rich with large stands of trees and rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, whilst the coastal plain
Coastal plain
A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
of the vallery is open and studded with palm trees.
The Bismarck Sea
Bismarck Sea
The Bismarck Sea lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean to the north of the island of Papua New Guinea and to the south of the Bismarck Archipelago and Admiralty Islands. Like the Bismarck archipelago, it is named in honour of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck...
laps the northern coast of the region is fed by the larger Ramu
Ramu River
The Ramu is a river in northern Papua New Guinea. The headwaters of the river are formed in the Kratke Range from where it then travels approximately north-west to the Bismarck Sea....
, Sogeram
Sogeram River
Sogeram River is a river in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. It empties to Ramu River at ....
, Gogol
Gogol River
The Gogol River is a river in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. It empties to Astrolabe Bay at .- External links :*...
and Malas River
Malas River
Malas River is a river in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. It rises in the Adelbert Range and empties to the Bismarck Sea at ....
s.
Offshore islands in the sea are, in some cases, volcanic, with Karkar
Karkar Island
Karkar Island is an oval-shaped volcanic island located in the Bismarck Sea, about 30 kilometres off the north coast of mainland Papua New Guinea in Madang Province. The island is about 25 km in length and 19 km in width. In the centre is an active volcano with two nested calderas...
, Bagabag
Bagabag (Papua New Guinea)
Bagabag is in the Madang Province of Papua New Guinea and it is a dormant volcano.Bagabag is the closest island to Karkar island. People from the last Karkar normally paddle to Bagabag to visit and come by the course of the ocean tide and current. The island is rich in betel-nut, local pigs and...
and Manam
Manam
Manam, known locally as Manam Motu, is an island located in the Bismarck Sea across the Stephan Strait from the northeast coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The island is 10 kilometers wide, and was created by the activity of the Manam Volcano, one of the country’s most active...
being notable. In 2004/2005 the population of Manam Island was evacuated due to an eruption of the volcano. Bagabag and Karkar have had no major volcanic activities in recent years. This active volcanic region is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements...
and has created crater lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s, smoking volcanic cones and black sand
Black sand
Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on beaches near a volcano, consists of tiny fragments of lava.While some beaches are...
beaches.
The Madang province receives ample rainfall (3.2 metres in Madang itself) with the months of November to June being the wettest.
People and Culture
Due to changes caused by outside contact over the years, cultural loss has been great but isolation of many groups has caused that rate of change to be diversely uneven. Because of the environmentNatural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
al diversity, this province also has a very diverse culture as well. Tall lithe coastal people from Karkar Island
Karkar Island
Karkar Island is an oval-shaped volcanic island located in the Bismarck Sea, about 30 kilometres off the north coast of mainland Papua New Guinea in Madang Province. The island is about 25 km in length and 19 km in width. In the centre is an active volcano with two nested calderas...
, short nuggety highlands men from Simbai and river people from the Ramu.
Many Madang area costumes include bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
frames decorated with the very common cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
and parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
feathers as birds of paradise are relatively uncommon. The Ramu people are prolific carvers and the lower Ramu has cultural links with the villages of the artistically diverse Sepik River region. It is interesting to note that the resurgence of cultural festivals (i.e. Maborasa Festival) has seen many people donning the fantastic traditional dress, feathers and paints of their ancestors.
Foods eaten include those grown in fertile coastal garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s, shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, green vegetables, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
, sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
and yams
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
which relish dry soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
s. Sago
Sago
Sago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
is a staple of the Ramu river people especially in its lower reaches. The mountain people have very good gardens with excellent produce.
Languages
Linguistically, Madang province is typified by a large number of very small language groups, many with fewer than 1,000 people. Austronesian sailors settled on this coast some 5 to 6,000 years ago and the languages of these intrepid but largely unknown sailors are found along the coast of the province. Lukep, Gedaged, ManamManam
Manam, known locally as Manam Motu, is an island located in the Bismarck Sea across the Stephan Strait from the northeast coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The island is 10 kilometers wide, and was created by the activity of the Manam Volcano, one of the country’s most active...
and Bilbil languages are examples of this. Inland, the Katiati, Hinihon and Saki
Saki
Hector Hugh Munro , better known by the pen name Saki, and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirised Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story and often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy...
and languages are examples of Papuan
Papuan languages
The Papuan languages are those languages of the western Pacific which are neither Austronesian nor Australian. The term does not presuppose a genetic relationship. The concept of Papuan peoples as distinct from Melanesians was first suggested and named by Sidney Herbert Ray in 1892.-The...
(non-Austronesian) languages found in the region. The Ramu river languages include Gamei, Giri, Tangu, Romkun and Igana and the Rai Coast languages include Somau Garia and Usino. The volcanic island of Karkar is unusual in that it is shared by the Papuan language Waskia and the Austronesian language Takia
Takia language
Takia is an Austronesian language spoken by about 20,000 people on Karkar Island, Bagabag Island, and coastal villages Megiar and Serang, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. Children are being discouraged from using Takia, and it is being supplanted by Tok Pisin and English...
.
Economy
The province is the country's third leading producer of cocoa and copraCopra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...
and second producer of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. Ramu Sugar, Coconut Oil Production Manang Ltd and Jant/Gogol woodchip mill are amongst PNG's biggest employers. Most areas are still far from transport and undeveloped.
Districts and LLGs
Each province in Papua New Guinea has one or more districts, and each district has one or more Local Level Government (LLG) areas. For censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
purposes, the LLG areas are subdivided into wards and those into census units.
| District | District Capital | LLG Name |
|---|---|---|
| Bogia District Bogia District Bogia District is a district in the north-west of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the six administrative districts that make up the province.-References:*... |
Bogia Bogia Borgia is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Lepetellidae.... |
Almami Rural |
| Iabu Rural | ||
| Yawar Rural | ||
| Madang District Madang District Madang District is a district in the central part of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the six administrative districts that make up the province.-References:*... |
Madang Madang Madang is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century.... |
Ambenob Rural |
| Madang Urban | ||
| Transgogol Rural | ||
| Middle Ramu District Middle Ramu District Middle Ramu District is a district in the southwest of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the six administrative districts that make up the province.-References:*... |
Simbai | Arabaka Rural |
| Josephstaal Rural | ||
| Simbai Rural | ||
| Rai Coast District Rai Coast District Rai Coast District is a district in the southeast of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the six administrative districts that make up the province.-Basamuk nickel processing plant:... |
Rai Coast | Astrolabe Bay Rural |
| Naho Rawa Rural | ||
| Saidor Rural | ||
| Sumkar District Sumkar District Sumkar District is a district in the north of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the six administrative districts that make up the province. Sumkar is a district which is made up of Karkar Island and part of mainland NCR.-References:*... |
Karkar Karkar Island Karkar Island is an oval-shaped volcanic island located in the Bismarck Sea, about 30 kilometres off the north coast of mainland Papua New Guinea in Madang Province. The island is about 25 km in length and 19 km in width. In the centre is an active volcano with two nested calderas... |
Karkar Rural |
| Sumgilbar Rural | ||
| Usino Bundi District Usino Bundi District Usino Bundi District is a district in the south of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the six administrative districts that make up the province.-References:*... |
Usino | Bundi Rural |
| Usino Rural |