Milne Bay Province

Coordinates: 10°15′S 150°0′E / 10.25°S 150°E / -10.25; 150

Milne Bay Province
—  Province  —
Flag
Country	Papua New Guinea
Capital	Alotau
Government
• Governor	John Luke Crittin (2007-)
Area
• Total	5,000 sq mi (14,000 km2)
Population (2000)
• Total	209,054
• Density	39/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)

Milne 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. The province has about 210,000 inhabitants, speaking about 48 languages, most of which belong to the Eastern Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family. Economically the province is dependent upon tourism, oil palm, and gold mining on Misima Island; in addition to these larger industries there are many small-scale village projects in cocoa and copra cultivation. The World War II Battle of Milne Bay took place in the province.

Culturally the Milne Bay region is sometimes referred to as "the Massim," a corruption of the name of Misima Island. Massim societies are usually characterized by matrilineal descent, elaborate mortuary sequences and complex systems of ritual exchange including the Kula ring. From Island group to Island group and even between close lying islands, the local culture changes remarkably. What is socially acceptable on one island may not be so on another.^{[citation needed]}

The coral reef systems of Milne Bay are some of the most biodiverse in the world, and as such attract equal attention from dive operators and conservation groups. The D'Entrecasteaux Islands still have volcanic activity, especially around Dobu and Fergusson Islands.^{[citation needed]}

The waters from the Amphlett group to the Trobriand Islands are poorly charted, and, as a result, are rarely visited by tourists or yachts passing through. On the other hand, the Louissiade Archipelago is a stopover for yachts travelling around the world and ones visiting from Australia,. However, the area sees few general tourists. The gold mine at Missima is no longer operational. Mining ended at Misima in 2001, with stockpile milling continuing into 2004. During its life, Misima has produced over 3.7Moz of gold and 18Moz of silver. Operations now are mainly focused on mine closure requirements and environmental rehabilitation.^{[citation needed]}

Islands

Islands in Milne Bay Province include:

• The D'Entrecasteaux Islands including Goodenough (Nidula), Fergusson (Moratau), Sanaroa, Dobu and Normanby (Duau)
• The Trobriand Islands, including Kiriwina, Kaileuna, Vakuta and Kitava
• The Amphlett Islands
• Woodlark Island (Muyuw, Murua)
• The Louisiade Archipelago, including Rossel (Yela), Tagula (Sudest, Vanatinai), Misima
• Samarai, location of the colonial District Headquarters until 1969 when the new Provincial Capital was moved to Alotau
• Kwato, Deka Deka Islands, Logea, Saliba, Basilaki, and Sideia
• The Engineer Islands, including Tubetube and Koraiwe

Administratively, there are four districts:

• Alotau District: Alotau town and mainland areas,
• Esa'ala District: Normanby, Fergusson, Dobu, Sanaroa and other islands
• Kiriwina-Goodenough District: Goodenough Island and Trobriand Islands
• Samarai-Murua District: Samarai, Engineer Islands, Louisiade, Calvados Island and Woodlark Island.

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 census purposes, the LLG areas are subdivided into wards and those into census units.^[1]

Ethnography

Miriam Kahn's Always Hungry Never Greedy: food and the expression of gender in a Melanesian society, is set in a village in Milne Bay.

External links

Tourism

• Official Milne Bay Tourism Bureau
• Alotau Accommodation

See also

• Ward Hunt Strait
• Dart Reefs

References

v t e Provinces of Papua New Guinea Bougainville1 Central Chimbu (Simbu) Eastern Highlands East New Britain East Sepik Enga Gulf Madang Manus Milne Bay Morobe New Ireland Oro (Northern) Sandaun (West Sepik) Southern Highlands Western Western Highlands West New Britain National Capital District (Port Moresby) 1 Autonomous region