New Britain 189467 225205532 2008-07-12T13:22:26Z Origamiemensch 6338213 /* References */ :''This article discusses the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. For other uses of the name, see [[New Britain (disambiguation)]].'' {{expand|date=July 2007}} [[Image:Newbritain lrg.jpg|thumb|330px|New Britain from space, June 2005. Clearly visible are ash plumes from [[Langila]] and [[Ulawun]] volcanoes]] '''New Britain''' is the largest [[island]] in the [[Bismarck Archipelago]] of [[Papua New Guinea]], separated from the island of [[New Guinea]] by [[Dampier Strait]]. The main towns are [[Rabaul]]/[[Kokopo]] and [[Kimbe]]. ==Geography== [[Image:NewBritainTopography.png|thumb|330px|Topography of New Britain]] [[Image:NewBritainOMC.png|thumb|330px|New Britain, with selected towns and volcanoes]] New Britain extends from 148° to 152° E. longitude and from 4° to 7° S. latitude. It is crescent-shaped, approximately 600 [[kilometres|km]] (370 [[mile]]s) along its southeastern coastline, and from 30 to 110 [[kilometres|km]] (20–70 [[mile]]s) wide, not including a small central peninsula. The island is the [[List of islands by area|38th largest in the world]], with an area of 37,800 [[square kilometer|km²]] (14,600 [[square mile|mile²]]). Steep cliffs form some sections of the coastline; in others the mountains are further inland, and the coastal area is flat and bordered by coral reefs. The highest point, at 2438 m (7999 ft), is [[Mount Sinewit]] in the [[Baining Mountains|Baining range]] in the east. Most of the terrain is covered with tropical rainforest, and several large rivers are fed by the high rainfall. New Britain was largely formed by volcanic processes, and there are several active volcanoes on the island, including [[Ulawun]] (the highest volcano in Papua New Guinea), [[Langila]], the [[Garbuna Group]], the [[Sulu Range]], and the volcanoes [[Tavurvur]] and [[Vulcan (volcano)|Vulcan]] of the [[Rabaul caldera]]. A major eruption of Tavurvur in 1994 destroyed the East New Britain provincial capital of [[Rabaul]]. Most of the town still lies under metres of ash, and the capital has been moved to nearby [[Kokopo]]. ==Administrative divisions== New Britain is part of the Islands Region, one of four [[regions of Papua New Guinea]]. It comprises the mainland of two [[province]]s: * [[East New Britain]] with headquarters in [[Kokopo]] (formerly Rabaul) * [[West New Britain]] with headquarters in [[Kimbe]] ==History== ===1700-1914=== [[William Dampier]] became the first known European to visit New Britain on [[February 27]], [[1700]]: he dubbed the island with the Latin name ''Nova Britannia''. In November 1884, Germany proclaimed its [[protectorate]] over the New Britain Archipelago; the German colonial administration gave New Britain and [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]] the names of Neupommern (or Neu-Pommern; "New [[Pomerania]]") and [[New Ireland (island)|Neumecklenburg]] (or Neu-Mecklenburg; "New [[Mecklenburg]]"), and the whole group was renamed the Bismarck Archipelago. New Britain became part of [[German New Guinea]]. In 1909, the indigenous population was estimated at about 190,000; the foreign population at 773 (474 white). The expatriate population was practically confined to the northeastern Gazelle Peninsula, which included the capital, [[Kokopo|Herbertshöhe]] (now Kokopo). At the time 5,448 hectares (13,464 acres) had been converted to plantations, primarily copra, cotton, coffee, and rubber. Westerners avoided exploring the interior initially, believing that the indigenous peoples were warlike and would fiercely resist intrusions. On [[11 September]] [[1914]], New Britain became the site of one of the [[World War I#Opening battles|earliest battles of World War I]] when the [[Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force]] landed on the island. They quickly overwhelmed the German forces and German New Guinea became the Australian Territory of New Guinea. ===World War II=== [[Image:Native New British Islanders 1944.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Two photographs of native New British Islanders, 1944]] During [[World War II]] the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] captured New Britain very early on. During January of 1942, Japanese heavily bombed [[Rabaul]]. On [[January 23]], Japanese marines landed by the thousands, starting the [[Battle of Rabaul (1942)|Battle of Rabaul]]. The Japanese used Rabaul as a heavy base until 1945. It was used as the key point for the failed invasion of [[Port Moresby]]. The Allies were able to bypass attacking New Britain by setting up airbases on surrounding islands. With air attacks impossible due to Allied fighters, the base was abandoned by the Japanese in August of 1945. ===Since 1945=== ==People and culture== The indigenous people of New Britain fall into two main groups: the [[Papuans]], who have inhabited the island for tens of thousands of years, and the [[Austronesian people|Austronesians]], who arrived around two thousand years ago. There are around ten Papuan languages spoken and about forty Austronesian languages, as well as [[Tok Pisin]] and [[English language|English]]. The population of New Britain was 404,873 in the 2000 census. The major towns are [[Rabaul]]/[[Kokopo]] in [[East New Britain]] and [[Kimbe]] in [[West New Britain]]. The traditional cultures of New Britain are diverse and complex. While the [[Tolai]] of the Rabaul area of East New Britain have a matrilineal society, other groups are patrilineal in structure. There are numerous traditions which remain active today, such as the ''[[Duk-Duk|dukduk]]'' secret society (also known as ''tubuan'') in the Tolai area. ==See also== *[[Postage stamps of New Britain]] ==References == {{commons|Category:New Britain|New Britain}} {{wiktionary}} *{{Catholic}} *{{1911}} * [http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/solomon_islands.htm Jane's Solomon Islands] * Australian War Memorial, [http://www.awm.gov.au/units/event_145.asp Operations against German Pacific territories], [[6 August]] [[1914]] – [[6 November]] [[1914]]. *[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_map.asp?name=PG&seq=140 Ethnologue map of languages of New Britain] {{coor title dm|5|44|S|150|44|E|type:isle}} {{Islands of Papua New Guinea}} [[Category:Islands of Papua New Guinea]] [[bg:Нова Британия]] [[ca:Nova Bretanya]] [[cs:Nová Británie]] [[da:New Britain]] [[de:Neubritannien]] [[el:Νέα Βρετανία]] [[es:Nueva Bretaña]] [[fr:Nouvelle-Bretagne]] [[gl:Nova Bretaña]] [[it:Nuova Britannia]] [[lt:Naujoji Britanija]] [[nl:Nieuw-Brittannië]] [[ja:ニューブリテン島]] [[no:New Britain]] [[pl:Nowa Brytania]] [[pt:Nova Bretanha]] [[sr:Нова Британија]] [[fi:Uusi-Britannia]] [[sv:Niu Briten]] [[zh:新不列顛]]