Western Province (Papua New Guinea)

Western or Fly River is the name of one of the 21 provinces of Papua New Guinea. Located on the western border of the country to Indonesia province is about 99,600 km ² and has around 153,000 inhabitants. Thus, the Western Province is the largest and most sparsely populated of the country. Capital is Daru with 12,879 inhabitants in 2000. It is located on the homonymous island at the mouth of the Fly River.

Geography

The provinces Gulf and Southern Highlands form the border in the east and Sandaun in the north western province. The Indonesian province of Papua is located in the west. The situation on the border with the neighboring country Indonesia is at times somewhat strained. In the south of the Torres Strait forms a natural border.

The province is dominated by the Fly River, a stream, which is 80km wide at its mouth. Because of the Fly and the border with Indonesia has been changed, which runs along the 141st otherwise longitude, but here adapts to the current course. The vast grassland is often inundated by flood. The majority of the province is lowland, swamp and rainforest.

In the north there is a crisscrossed by limestone caves plateau, in the north- west of the mountain ranges of the Hindenburg and Müller -range. The province remains economically insignificant, although recently large copper and gold deposits were discovered. The road is difficult, so the traffic runs mainly on waterways and by air.

In the Western Province is the largest lake in the country, Lake Murray, home to many crocodiles. Crocodile skins were next to beads also one of the most important article of commerce capital Daru, which is on an island off the coast. Today in the small port city especially fish is processed.

Population

In the high plateau, Tugeri that were once headhunters and the custom to have had, for every newly -born baby in her tribe to kill an adult life. The sailors tribes of Kiwai and Gogodala live on the coast.

Districts and LLGs

The province is divided into three districts Western. Each district consists of one or more distinguish " areas at the local administrative level ," Local Level Government ( LLG ) areas which in Rural (rural ) or urban ( urban) LLGs.