Nickname: St. Aignan Island | |
|---|---|
 Misima Island photo | |
  Misima Island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Oceania |
| Coordinates | 10°41′S152°43′E / 10.683°S 152.717°E /-10.683; 152.717 |
| Archipelago | Louisiade Archipelago |
| Adjacent to | Solomon Sea |
| Total islands | 3 |
| Major islands | |
| Area | 215 km2 (83 sq mi) |
| Length | 40 km (25 mi) |
| Width | 10 km (6 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,036 m (3399 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Koia Tau or Oia TauFirst Recorded Ascent:24 December 2016 by Kolbe Bare and two other Misimans |
| Administration | |
| Province |  Milne Bay |
| District | Samarai-Murua District |
| LLG[1] | Louisiade Rural Local Level Government Area |
| Island Group | Misima Islands |
| Largest settlement | Bwagaoia (pop. 2680) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 19,330 (2014) |
| Pop. density | 89.9/km2 (232.8/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Papauans,Austronesians,Melanesians. |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| ISO code | PG-MBA |
| Official website | www |
Misima (formerly calledSt. Aignan) is avolcanic island in the northwest ofLouisiade Archipelago withinMilne Bay Province ofPapua New Guinea.
Misima Island was inhabited byAustronesians since about 1500 BC. The island was sighted in 1768 by French captainLouis Antoine de Bougainville and explored 1793 by French explorerAntoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.Misima island owes its name toÉlisabeth-Paul-Édouard de Rossel, which was a lieutenant of theCounter admiral Antoine Bruny d'Entrecasteaux during hisjourney of scientific exploration.In 1888 theBritish Empire annexed Misima Island, and it became part ofBritish New Guinea (since 1904 - theTerritory of Papua administered byAustralia).
Gold was discovered on Misima late in 1888.[2] By March 1889, eighty men were on the island digging for gold, and a storekeeper had set up a business.[3]
Since 1975, Misima belongs to the independent state ofPapua New Guinea.A gold and silver mine was opened on the island in 1990, by an international corporation. The mines provided plenty of work for the islanders. however, that mine was officially closed in 2004, because of excessive load on the environment and public health hazards.[4]
The island is within theSamarai Murua District.
The island measures 40 by 10 km (24.9 by 6.2 mi) and has an area of 2,145 km2 (828 sq mi). It is located some 20 km (12 mi) north of the northwest extreme of the barrier reef ofVanatinai at Isu Raua Raua Island, and 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Vanatinai Island itself.
Misima is mountainous and densely forested. Mt. Koia Tau, at a height of 1,036 meters (3,399 ft), is the highest peak of the Louisiade Archipelago.
It was not until 24 December 2016 when Kolbe Bare, a Papua New Guinean geologist, and two Misimans, David Kaliton and Kaliton Ada, made the first recorded ascent to the Top of Oia Tau. It was noted by Kolbe that even though the mountain is close to the sea, Higher altitude vegetation covers the top of the mountain at the time of ascent.
The local climate istropical, moderated by northeast trade winds, with a dry season from 1 December to 31 May, and a wet season from 1 June to 30 November. it is usually veryhumid. Since it is fairly close to the equator, the temperature does not fluctuate much between winter and summer.
Misima island is known as a mining island. A huge mine operated many years on the island. The mine was a joint venture byPlacer Dome Inc (owning 80%) and the state-ownedOrogen Minerals Ltd. In March 2012Barrick closed its post closure monitoring office in Bwagaoia having successfully rehabilitated the mine and mill sites.
Since 2004 when the mine closed,artisanal mining has become a major source of income in the island, with an association Misima Alluvial Gold Mining Association (MAGMA) starting in 2007. Other sources of income, especially for people living on the north coast, arecash crops ofcoconuts,copra, andcacao. A commercial fisheries project has been proposed, but has not been developed yet.
The island has a population of 19,330, spread across 78 villages, Misima is the most heavily populated island in theLouisiade Archipelago. By area, it is the third largest, afterVanatinai andRossel Island.Since the mines have closed, there are signs of population decrease. people are moving toAlotau for jobs.
The main town of the island and the seat of the district isBwagaoia, located on the southeast corner of the island. Other villages are Hinauta, Boiou, Gulewa, Bagilina, Liak, Siagara, Eiaus (on the eastern north coast, reachable by road from Bwagaoia), Gulewa and Ewena (on the western north coast), and Bwagabwaga, Gaibobo and Alhoga (on the south coast).[5]
About half the population identified themselves as members of a Christian church. seeReligion in Papua New Guinea for more info.
The main language of the island is also calledMisiman, though many residents speak English and also Tok Pisin as a third language.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(August 2017) |
Misima Airport Closed. Only Means of transportation out of the island is by sea. News articlehttps://www.postcourier.com.pg/png-air-suspends-all-flight-to-and-from-misima-airport/ Update: 3Million KINA airport upgradehttps://www.thenational.com.pg/k3-million-for-misima-airport-upgrade/ locals still traveling by sea date 3rd of January 2024. (Misima has a workingairport (IATA:MIS,ICAO:AYMM) (four flights weekly to the mainland (POM viaAlotau) throughAirlines of Papua New Guinea, and one charter run byPorgera Joint Venture), a high school (grades 7-12), a small market, a few small stores and a clinic/hospital, a post office,--all of which are located in Bwagaoia. There are ferries from Alotau which service Misima Island, costing around K100 (update 2024: K150-K200)and taking 17 (17-19) hours.
The following mammals are present on Misima Island:
Other animals:
Islands ofPapua New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| Bismarck Archipelago | |
| Louisiade Archipelago | |
| North Solomon Islands | |
![[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fweb.archive.org%2fweb%2f20160302034102%2fhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.kokonutpacific.com.au%2fproduction%2fstories%2fimages%2fmisima_gold.jpg){kind=link}