| Ramu | |
|---|---|
 Part of the Ramu from the air | |
 Location of the Ramu River | |
| Location | |
| Country | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Madang Province |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Kratke Range,Papua New Guinea |
| Mouth | |
• location | Bismarck Sea,Papua New Guinea |
• coordinates | 4°1′S144°40′E / 4.017°S 144.667°E /-4.017; 144.667 |
| Length | 640 km (400 mi) |
| Basin size | 18,720 km2 (7,230 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 1,500 m3/s (53,000 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 5,000 m3/s (180,000 cu ft/s) |
TheRamu River is a majorriver in northernPapua New Guinea. The headwaters of the river are formed in theKratke Range from where it then travels about 640 km (398 mi) northwest to theBismarck Sea.
Along the Ramu's course, it receives numerous tributaries from theBismarck Range to the south and theFinisterre andAdelbert.
For many millennia, people have lived along the river, and the river has formed the basis for food, transport, and culture.
The area encompassed by the Ramu was part ofKaiser-Wilhelmsland whenGermany establishedGerman New Guinea in 1884. The Germans were quick to explore their territory, and the mouth of the Ramu was discovered in 1886 by Vice-AdmiralFreiherr von Schleinitz after returning toFinschhafen from an expedition to the nearbySepik.[1] Schleinitz called the Ramu,Ottilien after his ship theOttilie.[1]
The course of the river was first discovered 10 years later in 1896 after DrCarl Lauterbach, abotanist, led an expedition organised by theGerman New Guinea Company (Neu Guinea Kompagnie) to find the headwaters of theMarkham River.[2] After crossing theOrtzen Mountains fromAstrolabe Bay south ofMadang, Lauterbach's party, instead of finding the Markham, found an unknown river flowing northwest. The party canoed along a section before their supplies dwindled; they returned to the coast retracing their route.[2]
Another German explorer,Ernst Tappenbeck, who had accompanied Lauterbach previously, led the first expedition to ascend the Ramu in 1898. Tappenbeck was charged with discovering whether theOttilien found in 1886 was the same river Lauterbech had found. He was accompanied by former Prussian Army officers, aKompagnie official and an Australian gold prospector Robert Phillip, and travelled in theNeu Guinea Kompagnie steamerHerzog Johann Albrecht.[3]
After five days of journey up the Ramu, Tappenbeck left his companions at a well-stocked camp when river water levels fell. He returned four and half months later in another steamer,Herzogin Elisabeth, and the party managed to navigate 190 mi (310 km) upstream and go farther still by canoe.[3] By the end of 1898, the expedition had established a station on the river, mapped it and tributaries, and made a large botanical collection.[3]
Further explorations for gold and botanical specimens were conducted by the Germans. In 1902, Hans Klink and J. Schlenzig established a new Ramu station that was later connected by a bridle track to the coast.[4] Dr R. Schlecter led another expedition in 1902 in search ofgutta-percha trees.[4] Then in 1907, Austrian explorerWilhelm Dammköhler led an expedition up the Markham Valley and linked the headwaters of the Markham River with the Ramu for the first time.[4]
After theFirst World War, German New Guinea passed over toAustralian control and became theTerritory of New Guinea. The Ramu reverted to its local name during this time.
In 1936,Briton,Lord Moyne, ventured up the Ramu during an expedition toIndonesia and New Guinea. Moyne discovered a race ofpygmy-like people inhabiting the middle Ramu region 170 miles (270 km) from the mouth of the river in the Aiome foothills.[5]
During theSecond World War in 1942, theJapanese annexed the entire Territory of New Guinea from the Australians. Intense fighting occurred between theImperial Japanese Army and theAustralian andUS Armies to recapture New Guinea. During theFinisterre Range campaign in 1943 and 1944, the Ramu Valley became the scene of a major battle.
The Ramu flows intoYonki Dam, where it feeds theRamu 1 power station.
A hydroelectric plant was under construction on the toe of the Yonki Dam, however, construction is currently (May 2011) suspended.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)