Regions of Papua New Guinea
Encyclopedia
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...
are its broadest scale administrative divisions. While the twenty province-level divisions
Provinces of Papua New Guinea
The provinces of Papua New Guinea are the primary administrative divisions of the country. Provincial governments are branches of the national government– Papua New Guinea is not a federation of provinces...
are the primary administrative divisions of the country, the regions are quite significant in daily life, as they are often the basis for organisation of government services (such as police), corporate operations, sporting competitions, and even the machinations of politics.
Overview
For instance, there has been much discussion over the years of how many Prime Ministers have come from each region, and whether a particular region is due to provide the next one. Ministers and departmental heads are often appointed with an eye to maintaining an overall balance between the regions.Regions
People generally identify quite strongly with their region, and inter-region rivalries can be intense. The four regions are:- Highlands RegionHighlands Region-Subdivision:The Region is administratively divided into five provinces:* Southern Highlands* Enga Province* Western Highlands* Simbu* Eastern Highlands-See also:* Provinces of Papua New Guinea...
: SimbuSimbu ProvinceSimbu, also known as Chimbu, is a Highlands Region province in Papua New Guinea. The province has an area of 6,100 km² and a population of 259,703 . The capital of the province is Kundiawa...
, Eastern Highlands, EngaEnga ProvinceEnga refers to both an ethnic group located in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and the province in which they are the majority ethnic group.-Physical geography:...
, Southern Highlands, and Western Highlands. - Islands RegionIslands RegionThe Islands Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea comprising the Bismarck Archipelago and North Solomon Islands located north-east of the mainland...
: East New BritainEast New BritainEast New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea, on the north-eastern part of the island of New Britain and it also includes the Duke of York Islands. The capital of the province is Kokopo, not far from the old capital of Rabaul, which was largely destroyed in the 1994 volcanic eruption...
, ManusManus ProvinceManus Province is the smallest province in Papua New Guinea with a land area of 2,100 km², but with more than 220,000 km² of water. The capital of the province is Lorengau and the total population is 43,387 ....
, New Ireland, North Solomons (Bougainville)Bougainville ProvinceThe Autonomous Region of Bougainville, previously known as North Solomons, is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island , and the province also includes the island of Buka and assorted outlying islands including the Carterets...
, and West New BritainWest New BritainWest New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea on the islands of New Britain. The provincial capital is Kimbe. The area of the province in 21,000 km², and there are 184,508 inhabitants . West New Britain produces palm oil for export...
. - Momase RegionMomase RegionMomase Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea. Its largest city is Lae, the second city of the nation.-Subdivision:The Region is administratively divided into four provinces:* East Sepik* Madang* Morobe* West Sepik -See also:...
: East SepikEast SepikEast Sepik is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Wewak. East Sepik has an estimated population of 343,180 people and is roughly 42,800 km square in size.-History:...
, MadangMadang ProvinceMadang is a province on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The province has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages...
, MorobeMorobe ProvinceMorobe 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...
, and West Sepik (Sandaun)SandaunSandaun Province, officially West Sepik Province, is the north-westernmost province of Papua New Guinea. It covers an area of 36,300 km² and has a population of 185,741 . The capital is Vanimo...
. - Papua RegionPapua RegionPapua Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea. The region includes the national capital Port Moresby.-Subdivision:The Region is administratively divided into six provinces:* Central Province* Gulf Province* Milne Bay Province...
: Central, GulfGulf ProvinceGulf Province is a province of Papua New Guinea located on the southern coast. The provincial capital is Kerema. The 34,500 km² province is dominated by mountains, lowland river deltas, and grassland flood plains, the Kikori, Turama, Purari and Vailala rivers all meet the sea known as the...
, Milne BayMilne Bay ProvinceMilne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Alotau. The province covers 14,000 km² of land and 252,990 km² of sea, within the province there are more than 600 islands, about 160 of which are inhabited...
, Northern Province (Oro)Oro ProvinceOro Province, formerly Northern Province, is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Popondetta. The province covers 22,800 km², and has 133,065 inhabitants ....
, Western (Fly), and the National Capital District.
Momase is a recently devised portmanteau word which combines the first two letters of Morobe, Madang, and Sepik.
See also
- Provinces of Papua New GuineaProvinces of Papua New GuineaThe provinces of Papua New Guinea are the primary administrative divisions of the country. Provincial governments are branches of the national government– Papua New Guinea is not a federation of provinces...
- Districts and LLGs of Papua New GuineaDistricts and LLGs of Papua New Guinea||This page is a list of districts and Local-Level Government areas of Papua New Guinea.On the highest level, Papua New Guinea is divided into four Regions. Below, Papua New Guinea has 20 province-level divisions: 18 integrated provinces, the autonomous province of North Solomons and the National...