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 and is separated from the mainland of New Guinea by a part of the Solomon Sea or by a short trip through islands like Umboi, Dampier, and through the Vitiaz Straits. Nearby, you will find another island called New Ireland, separated by St. George's Channel.

The main towns on New Britain are Rabaul or 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 of Tavurvur covered much of the town of Rabaul in ash, so the capital was moved to the nearby town of Kokopo.

Geography

New Britain is a big, 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. These caves, along with some similar areas in nearby regions, were suggested as a possible World Heritage site in 2007.

Administrative divisions

New Britain is part of the Islands Region, one of the four regions of Papua New Guinea. The island includes 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, about 190,000 local people lived there, along with around 773 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, who have lived there for tens of thousands of years, and the Austronesians, who arrived around three thousand years ago. There are many languages spoken on the island, including around ten Papuan languages, about forty Austronesian languages, Tok Pisin, and English. Most Papuan people live in the eastern part of the island and a few small areas in the central highlands. Near Jacquinot Bay, they live close to the beach where a waterfall flows right into the sea.

In 2010, about 493,585 people lived on New Britain. The largest groups are Austronesian. 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 is home to many different languages. Some of these languages are not part of a big language family called Austronesian. They include languages like 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 is home to 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.

Sadly, forests on New Britain have been disappearing quickly to make space for oil palm farms. The lowland rainforests have suffered the most, with a lot of trees lost between 1989 and 2000. If this keeps happening, all forests below 200 metres could be gone by 2060. Even so, most forest birds are still doing well, but some, like the New Britain kingfisher, might be in danger if the forests continue to disappear.