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The 'Bismarck Archipelago' is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and part of Papua New Guinea.

Contents

Geography

History

External links

Geography

The Bismarck archipelago includes mostly volcanic islands spread into 4 provinces with an area of 49.700 km² where the most important islands include:

★ 'East New Britain Province' (4)

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★ New Britain or Niu Briten, main island

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★ Duke of York Islands

★ 'Manus Province' (9)

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★ Admiralty Islands

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★ Manus Island, main island

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★ Lou Island

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★ Los Negros Island

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★ Ndrova Island

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★ Tong Island

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★ Baluan Island

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★ Pak Island

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★ Purdy Islands

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★ Rambutyo Island

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★ St Andrews Islands

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★ Western Islands with

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★ Aua Island

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★ Hermit Islands

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★ Kaniet Islands

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★ Ninigo Islands

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★ Wuvulu Island

★ 'New Ireland Province' (12)

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★ New Ireland or Niu Ailan, main island

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★ New Hanover or Lavongai

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★ Feni Islands

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★ Lihir Island

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★ Tabar Group

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★ Tanga Group

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★ Saint Matthias Group

★ 'West New Britain Province' (18)

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★ New Britain or Niu Briten, main island

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★ Vitu Islands
Southeast of the the Feni Islands lies the autonomous 'Bougainville Province' (14) with ''Buka Island'', ''Bougainville Island'', ''Carteret Islands'' och '' Green Islands'', which sometimes are included but not really part of the area.

History

The area is named in honour of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
The first inhabitants of the Archipelago arrived at around 33,000 years ago after sailing from what is now Papua New Guinea. Later arrivals included the Lapita people.
The first Europeans to visit these islands in 16th century have been the Ragusean traders from port Dubrovnik in Adriatic (medieval Republic of Ragusa). Therefore the Dalmatian sailors led by Ragusean captain 'Vice Bune' in 'Caraca' galley since 1580 started from the Ragusean Embassy in Goa (India), sailed at Philippines, and in 1585-1590 they reached the northeastern coast of New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago (then to 1598 also Solomon Islands and Vanuatu). This early expedition is documented in old Dubrovnik archives. V. Bune visited and named there e.g. island ''Boca'' (now Aris island), ''Karkar'' (Dampier Is.), ''Seka'' (Wardhunt islet), ''Kanap'' (Lausancay islets), ''Kriwina'' (Trobriand), ''Nada'' (Laughbeam), ''Duba'' (Rossell), ''Siroti'' (Green Island), and ''Jowo'' (Carteret Is.); these toponyms in western Pacific are subequal eponyms of the related names in Adriatic islands.
The second one to rediscover these islands from western Europe was Dutch explorer Willem Schouten in 1616. Then during 17th and 18th century, the Ragusean traders from Adriatic were nearly unique Europeans presented there; they remained unsettled by western Europeans until they became part of the German protectorate of German New Guinea in 1884.
Following the outbreak of World War I, the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force seized the islands in 1914 and Australia later received a League of Nations mandate for the islands. They remained under Australian control — interrupted only by Japanese occupation during World War II — until Papua New Guinea became independent in 1975.

External links

★ about the provinces