Native name: Admiralty Ailans | |
|---|---|
 Map of Papua New Guinea. The Admiralty Islands are in the dark red area at the top of the map. | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 2°06′S146°57′E / 2.100°S 146.950°E /-2.100; 146.950 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Manus Province |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 60485 (2011 Census) |
| Pop. density | 28.8/km2 (74.6/sq mi) |
TheAdmiralty Islands are anarchipelago group of 40islands in theBismarck Archipelago, to the north ofNew Guinea in theSouth Pacific Ocean.[1] These are also sometimes called theManus Islands, after the largest island.
These rainforest-covered islands constituteManus Province, the smallest and least-populous province ofPapua New Guinea, in itsIslands Region. The total area is 2,100 km2 (810 sq mi). The province had a population of 60,485 at the 2011 Census. Many of the smaller Admiralty Islands areatolls and uninhabited.
The larger islands in the center of the group areManus Island andLos Negros Island. The other larger islands areTong Island,Pak Island,Rambutyo Island andLou Island to the east, Mbuke Island to the south andBipi Island to the west of Manus Island.Baluan Island, to the south ofManus Island, is the main island of thePam Islands, where theBaluan-Pam language is spoken.[2] Other islands that have been noted as significant places in the history of Manus includeNdrova Island,Pityilu Island andPonam Island.[citation needed]
The temperature of the Admiralty Islands varies little throughout the year, reaching daily highs of 30–32 °C (86–90 °F) and 20–24 °C (68–75 °F) at night. Average annual rainfall is 3,382 mm (133 in) and is somewhat seasonal, with June–August being the wettest months.[citation needed]
Manus reaches an elevation of 700 m (2,300 ft) and is volcanic in origin and probably broke through the ocean's surface in the lateMiocene, 8–10 million years ago. The substrate of the island is either directly volcanic or from uplifted coral limestone.[citation needed]
The main town in the islands isLorengau on Manus, connected by road to an airport on nearbyLos Negros Island, otherwise transport around the islands is by boat. There is little tourism, although the seas are attractive to divers, includingJean-Michel Cousteau who spent time on nearbyWuvulu Island in the 1970s.
Due to the isolated location, the rain forests of the Admiralty Islands are home to rare andendemic species of birds, bats and other animals, and are considered a separateecoregion, theAdmiralty Islands lowland rain forests. The majority of the forests on Manus still remain, but some of the smaller islands have been cleared for coconut farming. The typical tree species are variousCalophyllum andSararanga species.[3]
The 58.5 km2 (22.6 sq mi) Ndrolowa Wildlife Management Area was created in March 1985 south ofLorengau on Manus Island and contains both terrestrial and marine regions.[4] A further 240 km2 (93 sq mi) protected area has been established around the highest mountain on Manus, Mount Dremsel, but the level of protection remains undetermined in the UNEP World Database on Protected Areas.[5]
Three of the bird species endemic to Admiralty Islands have been listed asvulnerable in theIUCN Red List:Manus fantail (Rhipidura semirubra),superb pitta (Pitta superba) andManus masked owl (Tyto manusi), and theManus dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx dispar) listed as near threatened. Three other birds are endemic to Admiralty Islands but are classified as non-threatened or least concern:white-naped friarbird (Philemon albitorques),Manus monarch (Monarcha infelix) andManus hawk owl (Ninox meeki). Birds found mainly but not exclusively on the Admiralty Islands includeMelanesian megapode (Megapodius eremita),yellow-bibbed fruit-dove (Ptilinopus solomonensis),yellowish imperial-pigeon (Ducula subflavescens),pied cuckoo-dove (Reinwardtoena browni),Meek's pygmy parrot (Micropsitta meeki),black-headed white-eye (Zosterops hypoxanthus) andebony myzomela (Myzomela pammelaena).[citation needed]
Mammals found only here or on nearby island groups include the largefruit bats,Admiralty flying-fox (Pteropus admiralitatum), Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat (Dobsonia anderseni) andSeri's sheathtail-bat (Emballonura serii) while the two pure-endemics areAdmiralty Island cuscus (Spilocuscus kraemeri) and a localmosaic-tailed rat (Melomys matambuai).[3] The islands are home to two endemicCornufer frogs (Cornufer admiraltiensis andCornufer latro)[6] and four lizards, while theemerald green snail of Manus was the first terrestrial snail to be listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.
Along withNew Guinea, theBismarck Archipelago and theSolomon Islands Archipelago, the Admiralty Islands were first inhabited approximately 40,000 years[citation needed] ago, in the initial wave of migration out ofSoutheast Asia that also populatedAustralia. This early society appears to have cultivatedtaro, and to have deliberately introduced wild animals from New Guinea such asbandicoots and largerats.Obsidian was gathered and traded throughout the Admiralty Islands archipelago.[7]
TheLapita culture arose around 3,500 years ago, and its extent ranged from the Admiralty Islands toTonga andSamoa. Its origins are contested, but it may well have been a product of another wave of migration from Southeast Asia. Lapita society featured renownedpottery,stilt houses, the introduction of domestic animals such aspigs,dogs, andchickens, and substantial developments in agriculture and boat technology, allowing long-distance trade to develop. Lapita society, as a distinct culture and extended trade network, collapsed around 2,000 years ago.[7]
The firstEuropean to visit the islands was the Spanish navigatorÁlvaro de Saavedra when trying to return fromTidore toNew Spain in the summer of 1528.[8] Saavedra charted Manus asUrays la Grande.[9] Its visit was also reported in 1616 by theDutch navigatorWillem Schouten. The name 'Admiralty Islands' was devised by CaptainPhilip Carteret of theBritish Royal Navy in 1767.[10]
Between 1884 and 1914 the area was administered as aGerman colony. In November 1914, the islands were occupied by troops of theAustralian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed from the SSSiar. A few shots fired from a machine gun onSiar over the heads of the tiny German garrison atLorengau were the last shots fired in the battle. After the war, the islands were governed by theCommonwealth of Australia under aLeague of Nations mandate.[11]
Japanese troops landed onManus Island on 7 April 1942.[12] In 1944, Japanese forces occupying the islands were attacked and defeated byAllied forces inOperation Brewer. Subsequently, a largeAmerican airbase andManus Naval Base was built at Lombrum near Lorengau.[13]
FollowingPapuan independence in 1975, the Admiralty Islands became part ofPapua New Guinea.[citation needed]
They became theManus Province of theIslands Region in Papua New Guinea.[citation needed]
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Islands ofPapua New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| Bismarck Archipelago | |
| Louisiade Archipelago | |
| North Solomon Islands | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
