New Britain

New Britain is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, which is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is about the size of Taiwan. You can reach it from the mainland of New Guinea by crossing a part of the Solomon Sea or by traveling through islands such as Umboi, Dampier, and the Vitiaz Straits. Nearby is another island called New Ireland, separated by St. George's Channel.

The main towns on New Britain are Rabaul, Kokopo, and Kimbe. The island has many active volcanoes, including Ulawun, one of the tallest in the country, Langila, the Garbuna Group, the Sulu Range, and the Tavurvur and Vulcan volcanoes near Rabaul. In 1994, a big eruption covered much of Rabaul in ash, so the capital was moved to Kokopo.

Geography

New Britain is a large, crescent-shaped island that stretches about 520 kilometers along its southeastern coast. It varies in width from 29 to 146 kilometers. The island's highest point is Mount Ulawun, a volcano that reaches 2,334 meters tall. Most of the land is covered in tropical rainforest, and many rivers flow through it due to heavy rainfall.

The Nakanai Range in the eastern part of the island is made mostly of limestone, creating many caves and sinkholes.

Administrative divisions

New Britain is part of the Islands Region, one of the four regions of Papua New Guinea. The island has two main areas called provinces:

• East New Britain, where the main town is Kokopo (it used to be in Rabaul)
• West New Britain, with its main town in Kimbe

History

New Britain has been home to people for a very long time. Evidence shows that indigenous Papuans lived there as far back as 21,000 BC.

In 1700, William Dampier became the first known British person to visit the island. He named it Nova Britannia, meaning 'New Britain'.

In 1884, Germany claimed control over New Britain and gave it the name Neupommern. By 1909, many local people lived there, along with some foreigners, mostly in the northeast part called the Gazelle Peninsula.

During World War I, Australian forces took control of New Britain from Germany in 1914. In World War II, Japan attacked the island and used it as a base. Later, U.S. forces also came to New Britain to fight against Japan. After the war, Australia took care of the island until 1994 when a volcano erupted and covered the main town of Rabaul in ash.

People and culture

The people of New Britain belong to two main groups: the Papuans and the Austronesians. The Papuans have lived there for a very long time. The Austronesians arrived around three thousand years ago. Many languages are spoken on the island. These include around ten Papuan languages, about forty Austronesian languages, Tok Pisin, and English. Most Papuan people live in the eastern part of the island and some small areas in the central highlands. Near Jacquinot Bay, they live close to the beach where a waterfall flows into the sea.

The main towns are Rabaul/Kokopo in East New Britain and Kimbe in West New Britain. The island has rich traditions, such as the dukduk secret society among the Tolai people in the Rabaul area.

Languages

New Britain has many different languages. Some of these are not part of a big language family called Austronesian. These include Taulil, Butam, Sulka, Mali, Kaket, Kairak, Simbali, Ura, Kol, Makolkol, Anêm, and Ata.

There are also Austronesian languages spoken there, such as Tolai, Lungalunga, Siasi, Kimbe, Lamogai, Mengen, and others. Some of these languages are mainly used in West New Britain, while others are spoken in East New Britain.

Ecology

New Britain has two special areas called ecoregions. One is the New Britain–New Ireland lowland rain forests, which grow from the sea up to 1,000 metres high. The other is the New Britain–New Ireland montane rain forests, found in the mountains above 1,000 metres.

Forests on New Britain are disappearing to make space for oil palm farms. The lowland rainforests have lost many trees. If this continues, all forests below 200 metres could be gone by 2060. Even so, most forest birds are still doing well.