Morobe Province
Encyclopedia
Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea
. The provincial capital, and largest city, is Lae
. The province covers 34,500 km², including 719 km² maritime area, with a population of 539,725 (2000 census). It includes the Huon Peninsula
, the Markham River
, and delta, and coastal territories along the Huon Gulf
. The province has nine administrative districts, and 101 languages are spoken, including Kâte and Yabim. English
and Pidgin English are common languages in the urban areas, and in some areas forms of Pidgin
German are mixed with the native language.
and Salamaua
in 1942. The Salamaua-Lae campaign
of the following year was a series of actions in which the Australian and United States forces sought to capture the two Japanese bases. The campaign to take the area began with the Australian attack on Japanese positions near Mubo, on 22 April 1943 and ended with the fall of Lae on 16 September 1943, in Operation Postern. The campaign was notable not only for its classic defense maneuvers at the Landing at Nadzab
and the brutal hand-to-hand combat at Salamaua; Lyndon B. Johnson
, the 36th President of the United States, saw his sole 13 minutes of combat on a bombing mission over Lae. Although the plane he was supposed to fly was shot down, with no survivors, his flight in B-26 Marauder
had repercussions throughout the Pacific theater. Sent as an observer, with instructions to report up the line to Roosevelt, to Congress, and to the Navy brass that the conditions in the Pacific were deplorable, the men had third–rate equipment to fight Japan's first class planes. The effort needed another 6,800 trained and experienced men, plus better supplies, provisions, and generally a higher priority in the war effort.
The Lae War Cemetery
is located adjacent to the Botanical Gardens in the center of the city of Lae. The cemetery was begun in 1944 by the Australian Army Graves Services, and the Commonwealth Graves Commission assumed responsibility for it in 1947. The Lae Memorial commemorates 300 men of the Australian forces (including Merchant Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, and the Australian Army) who lost their lives and have no known grave. It contains 2300–2800 burials, of which 444 are unidentified.
.
Through eco-tourism
, the Province capitalizes on its spectacular scenery, readily accessible diving locales, and its mountains, and jungles to offer tourists rich experiences in coral reef, rain forest, sub-alpine and alpine and tropical habitats. The Province's jungles and forests are also popular for viewing over 1000 of species of birds and mammals, including the colourful Raggiana Bird of Paradise
, the flightless Cassowary
and varieties of macropods, including the Tree-kangaroo
and over 15,000 species of plants. The Huon Peninsula, which comprises most of the provincial land-mass, is a unique montane eco-region
that offers a variety of plants and conditions found nowhere else in the world. Its coral reefs and volcanic inlets are home to thousands of species of fish and oceanic life that thrive in the reefs and wrecks.
In 2009 the YUS Conservation Area
has been established in the northern part of the Huon Peninsula
. YUS streches over 760 km² and includes three rivers: Yopno, Uruwa and Som, after which it was named. It is a critical habitat for the endangered Matschie's Tree-kangaroo
.
, copra
and sugar
, and tropical fruits (bananas, coconuts). Oil and gas industries are emerging, as is new mining and energy industry. Deteriorating roads and the lack of manufacturing and transportation/communication infrastructure impedes economic development.
and Yabem
, Kâte being spoken in the mountainous hinterlands and Yabem, on the coastal areas, particularly on the Huon peninsula coast. Along the coast and in the Markham Valley, the Austronesia
family of languages predominate. The Papuan languages
are heard most commonly in the mountain regions. English, and especially Pidgin English, are the common urban languages in Lae. In some areas, especially where the German missionaries maintained their Missions, such as Sattelberg and Finschhafen, pidgin German might be mixed with Kâte.
, and has 14 members of the Tutumang the provincial assembly. Tutumang means "the coming together," and the Province maintains that name for its assembly, as is permitted under the Organic Law on Provincial Government and Local Government.
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 provincial capital, and largest city, is Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
. The province covers 34,500 km², including 719 km² maritime area, with a population of 539,725 (2000 census). It includes the Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec who discovered it along with his personal assistant and porter, Henry Ole. The peninsula is dominated by the steep...
, the Markham River
Markham River
The Markham River is a river in eastern Papua New Guinea. It originates in the Finisterre Range and flows for to empty into the Huon Gulf at Lae....
, and delta, and coastal territories along the Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea, at . It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Lae, capital of the Morobe Province is located on the northern coast of the...
. The province has nine administrative districts, and 101 languages are spoken, including Kâte and Yabim. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Pidgin English are common languages in the urban areas, and in some areas forms of Pidgin
Pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
German are mixed with the native language.
World War II
Morobe province was a key campaign site during World War II. The Japanese had established strong supply bases in the towns of LaeLae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
and Salamaua
Salamaua
Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland...
in 1942. The Salamaua-Lae campaign
Salamaua-Lae campaign
The Salamaua–Lae campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Australian and United States forces sought to capture two major Japanese bases, one in the town of Lae, and another one at Salamaua. The campaign to take the Salamaua and Lae area began with the Australian...
of the following year was a series of actions in which the Australian and United States forces sought to capture the two Japanese bases. The campaign to take the area began with the Australian attack on Japanese positions near Mubo, on 22 April 1943 and ended with the fall of Lae on 16 September 1943, in Operation Postern. The campaign was notable not only for its classic defense maneuvers at the Landing at Nadzab
Landing at Nadzab
The Landing at Nadzab was an airborne landing on 5 September 1943 during the New Guinea campaign of World War II that began with a parachute drop at Nadzab in conjunction with the Landing at Lae....
and the brutal hand-to-hand combat at Salamaua; Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, the 36th President of the United States, saw his sole 13 minutes of combat on a bombing mission over Lae. Although the plane he was supposed to fly was shot down, with no survivors, his flight in B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
had repercussions throughout the Pacific theater. Sent as an observer, with instructions to report up the line to Roosevelt, to Congress, and to the Navy brass that the conditions in the Pacific were deplorable, the men had third–rate equipment to fight Japan's first class planes. The effort needed another 6,800 trained and experienced men, plus better supplies, provisions, and generally a higher priority in the war effort.
The Lae War Cemetery
Lae War Cemetery
The Lae War Cemetery, established in 1944, is located adjacent to the Botanical Gardens in the centre of the city of Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, in Papua New Guinea...
is located adjacent to the Botanical Gardens in the center of the city of Lae. The cemetery was begun in 1944 by the Australian Army Graves Services, and the Commonwealth Graves Commission assumed responsibility for it in 1947. The Lae Memorial commemorates 300 men of the Australian forces (including Merchant Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, and the Australian Army) who lost their lives and have no known grave. It contains 2300–2800 burials, of which 444 are unidentified.
Ecology
Papua New Guinea is part of the Australasia ecozoneAustralasia ecozone
The Australasian zone is an ecological region that is coincident, but not synonymous , with the geographic region of Australasia...
.
Through eco-tourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
, the Province capitalizes on its spectacular scenery, readily accessible diving locales, and its mountains, and jungles to offer tourists rich experiences in coral reef, rain forest, sub-alpine and alpine and tropical habitats. The Province's jungles and forests are also popular for viewing over 1000 of species of birds and mammals, including the colourful Raggiana Bird of Paradise
Raggiana Bird of Paradise
The Raggiana Bird-of-paradise, also known as Count Raggi's Bird-of-paradise, is a large bird in the bird-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae....
, the flightless Cassowary
Cassowary
The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia. There are three extant species recognized today...
and varieties of macropods, including the Tree-kangaroo
Tree-kangaroo
Tree-kangaroos are macropods adapted for life in trees. They are found in the rainforests of New Guinea, far northeastern Queensland, and nearby islands. Although most are found in mountainous areas, several species also occur in lowlands, such as the aptly named Lowlands Tree-kangaroo...
and over 15,000 species of plants. The Huon Peninsula, which comprises most of the provincial land-mass, is a unique montane eco-region
Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec who discovered it along with his personal assistant and porter, Henry Ole. The peninsula is dominated by the steep...
that offers a variety of plants and conditions found nowhere else in the world. Its coral reefs and volcanic inlets are home to thousands of species of fish and oceanic life that thrive in the reefs and wrecks.
In 2009 the YUS Conservation Area
YUS Conservation Area
YUS Conservation Area is a protected area on the Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. It was established in 2009 as Papua New Guinea's first conservation area, and named after the Yopno, Uruwa and Som rivers that flow through it...
has been established in the northern part of the Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec who discovered it along with his personal assistant and porter, Henry Ole. The peninsula is dominated by the steep...
. YUS streches over 760 km² and includes three rivers: Yopno, Uruwa and Som, after which it was named. It is a critical habitat for the endangered Matschie's Tree-kangaroo
Matschie's Tree-kangaroo
Matschie's Tree-kangaroo , also known as the Huon Tree-kangaroo is a tree-kangaroo native to the Huon Peninsula of North Eastern New Guinea...
.
Economy
Morobe Province's economy has grown at the rate of approximately two percent per annum since 2006. The economic base of the Morobe Province depends on the production and harvesting of cocoa, coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, copra
Copra
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 sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, and tropical fruits (bananas, coconuts). Oil and gas industries are emerging, as is new mining and energy industry. Deteriorating roads and the lack of manufacturing and transportation/communication infrastructure impedes economic development.
Demographics
The relative youth of the Morobe province population puts an increasing strain on schools and education services to combat illiteracy and its accompanying problems. Eight percent of the population (children) depend on twenty percent of the population (adults) for economic support, and population continues to grow at about 2.8 percent per year, which is higher than other developing countries.Languages
The population of Morobe speak over 100 languages, representing 27 language families. The two main languages are KâteKate
Kate is a feminine given name. It is sometimes a short form of Katherine, which is Greek meaning pure, blessed, virginal and popularity. It may refer to:People with the given name Kate:*Kate In meteorology:...
and Yabem
Yabem language
Yabem or Jabêm is an Austronesian language spoken natively by about 2000 people at the southern tip of the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea...
, Kâte being spoken in the mountainous hinterlands and Yabem, on the coastal areas, particularly on the Huon peninsula coast. Along the coast and in the Markham Valley, the Austronesia
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
family of languages predominate. The Papuan languages
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...
are heard most commonly in the mountain regions. English, and especially Pidgin English, are the common urban languages in Lae. In some areas, especially where the German missionaries maintained their Missions, such as Sattelberg and Finschhafen, pidgin German might be mixed with Kâte.
Government
The Province sends nine members to the national parliamentNational Parliament of Papua New Guinea
The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the unicameral national legislature in Papua New Guinea. It was first created in 1964 as the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea, but gained its current name with the granting of independence in 1975....
, and has 14 members of the Tutumang the provincial assembly. Tutumang means "the coming together," and the Province maintains that name for its assembly, as is permitted under the Organic Law on Provincial Government and Local Government.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bulolo District Bulolo District Bulolo District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Bulolo. The population of the district was 76,938 at the 2000 census.-Reference:... |
Bulolo Bulolo Bulolo is a town in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. It was once an important gold dredging centre in the former Territory of New Guinea, situated on the Bulolo River, a tributary of the Markham River, about north-west of Wau. The town is served by Bulolo Airport.Built in June 1930, the... |
Mumeng Rural |
| Waria Rural | ||
| Watut Rural | ||
| Wau-Bulolo Urban | ||
| Wau Rural | ||
| Buang Rural | ||
| Finschhafen District | Gagidu | Hube Rural |
| Kotte Rural | ||
| Finschafen Urban | ||
| Yabim-Mape Rural | ||
| Burum-Kuat Rural | ||
| Huon District Huon District Huon District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Salamaua. The population of the district was 59,754 at the 2000 census.-Reference:... |
Salamaua Salamaua Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland... |
Morobe Rural |
| Salamaua Rural | ||
| Wampar Rural | ||
| Kabwum District Kabwum District Kabwum District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Kabwum. The population of the district was 41,877 at the 2000 census.-Reference:... |
Kabwum | Deyamos Rural |
| Komba (Seko) Rural | ||
| Yus Rural | ||
| Selepet Rural | ||
| Lae District Lae District Lae District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Lae. The population of the district was 118,413 at the 2000 census.-Reference:... |
Lae Lae Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast... |
Ahi Rural |
| Lae Urban | ||
| Markham District Markham District Markham District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Kaiapit. The population of the district was 49,074 at the 2000 census.... |
Kaiapit Kaiapit Kaiapit is a town in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The town is the capital of the Markham District and is serviced by air by Kaiapit Airport. The battle of Kaiapit was fought at the nearby mission station.... |
Onga-Waffa Rural |
| Umi-Atzero Rural | ||
| Wantoat-Leron Rural | ||
| Menyamya District Menyamya District Menyamya District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Menyamya. The population of the district was 67.839 at the 2000 census.-Reference:... |
Menyamya | Kapao Rural |
| Nanima Kariba | ||
| Kome Rural | ||
| Wapi Rural | ||
| Nawae District Nawae District Nawae District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Boana. The population of the district was 34,967 at the 2000 census.-Reference:... |
Boana | Labuta Rural |
| Nabak Rural | ||
| Wain-Erap Rural | ||
| Tewae-Siassi District Tewae-Siassi District Tewae-Siassi District is a district of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Wasu. The population of the district was 42,789 at the 2000 census.-Reference:... |
Wasu Wasu, Papua New Guinea Wasu is a city in Papua New Guinea. It is the capital of Tewae-Siassi District in Morobe Province, and is located on the Huon Peninsula.Wasu also constitutes one end of the most difficult commercial air journey in the world. To get from Wasu to RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands requires... |
Sialum Rural |
| Siassi Rural | ||
| Wasu Rural |