Ramu
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2008-07-05T14:37:38Z
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{{Geobox River
<!-- *** Name section *** -->
| name = Ramu
<!-- *** Map section *** -->
| map = New guinea ramu.PNG
| map_caption = Location of the Ramu River
<!-- General section *** -->
| country = Papua New Guinea
| region = Madang Province
| length = 640
| length_round = -1
| length_note = approx.
| watershed =
| watershed_round =
| watershed_note = approx.
| discharge_location =
| discharge_average =
| discharge_round =
| discharge_average_note =
| discharge_max_month =
| discharge_max =
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| discharge1_average =
<!-- *** Source *** -->
| source_name =
| source_location = Kratke Range
| source_country = Papua New Guinea
| source_country1 =
| source_elevation =
| source_lat_d =
| source_lat_m =
| source_lat_s =
| source_lat_NS =
| source_long_d =
| source_long_m =
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| source_long_EW =
<!-- *** Mouth *** -->
| mouth_name =
| mouth_location = Bismarck Sea
| mouth_country = Papua New Guinea
| mouth_country1 =
| mouth_elevation =
| mouth_lat_d = 4
| mouth_lat_m = 1
| mouth_lat_s =
| mouth_lat_NS = S
| mouth_long_d = 144
| mouth_long_m = 40
| mouth_long_s =
| mouth_long_EW = E
<!-- *** Tributaries *** -->
| tributary_left =
| tributary_right =
<!-- *** Image *** --->
| image = Ramu River from air.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption = Part of the Ramu from the air
}}
{{otheruses}}
The '''Ramu''' is a [[river]] in northern [[Papua New Guinea]]. The headwaters of the river are formed in the [[Kratke Range]] from where it then travels approximately {{Convert|640|km|mi|0}} north-west to the [[Bismarck Sea]].
Along the Ramu's course it receives numerous tributaries from the [[Bismarck Range]] to the south and the [[Finisterre Range|Finisterre]] and [[Adelbert Range]]s from the north. During the wet season the Ramu and [[Sepik River]]s join across the flood plain.
==History==
Local villagers have lived along the river for many millennia and the river has formed the basis for food, transport and culture.
===German exploration===
The area encompassed by the Ramu was part of [[Kaiser-Wilhelmsland]] when [[Germany]] established [[German New Guinea]] in [[1884]]. The Germans were quick to explore their territory and the mouth of the Ramu was discovered in [[1886]] by Vice-Admiral [[Freiherr von Schleinitz]] after returning to [[Finschhafen]] from an expedition to the near-by [[Sepik]].<ref name=Souter73>Souter (1963) p. 73</ref> Schleinitz called the Ramu, ''Ottilien'' after his ship the ''Ottilie''.<ref name=Souter73/>
[[Image:Ramu river exploration 1930s.jpg|thumb|left|Ramu villagers investigating a camera during an Australian expedition in the 1930s]]
The course of the river was first discovered ten years later in [[1896]] after Dr [[Carl Lauterbach]], a [[botantist]], led an expedition organised by the ''[[German New Guinea Company|Neu Guinea Kompagnie]]'' to find the headwaters of the [[Markham River]].<ref name=Souter77>Souter (1963) p. 77</ref> After crossing the [[Ortzen Mountains]] from [[Astrolabe Bay]] south of [[Madang]], Lauterbach's party instead of finding the Markham found an unknown river flowing north-west. The party canoed along a section before their supplies dwindled they returned to the coast retracing their route.<ref name=Souter77/>
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 the ''Ottilien'' found in 1886 was the same river Lauterbech had found. He was accompanied by former Prussian Army officers, a ''Kompagnie'' official and an Australian Gold prospector Robert Phillip and travelled in the ''Neu Guinea Kompagnie'' steamer ''Herzog Johann Albrecht''.<ref name=Souter78>Souter (1963) p. 78</ref>
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 {{Convert|190|mi|km|-1|abbr=on}} upstream and go farther still by canoe.<ref name=Souter78/> By the end of 1898 the expedition had established a station on the river, mapped it and tributaries and made a large botanical collection.<ref name=Souter78/>
Further explorations for gold and botanical specimens were conducted by the Germans. In 1902 by Hans Klink and J. Schlenzig established a new Ramu station that was later connected by a bridle track to the coast.<ref name=Souter111>Souter (1963) pp. 111-112</ref> Dr R. Schlecter led another expedition in 1902 in search of [[gutta-percha]] trees.<ref name=Souter111/> Then in 1907 an Austrian explorer [[Wilhelm Dammköhler]] led an expedition up the [[Markham Valley]] and linked the headwaters of the Markham River with the Ramu for the first time.<ref name=Souter111/>
===Australian administration and Second World War===
After the [[First World War]], German New Guinea passed over to [[Australia]]n control and became the [[Territory of New Guinea]]. The Ramu reverted to its local name during this time.
In [[1936]] [[British people|Briton]], [[Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne|Lord Moyne]], ventured up the Ramu river during an expedition to [[Indonesia]] and New Guinea. Moyne discovered a race of [[pygmies|pygmy]] like people inhabiting the middle Ramu region {{Convert|170|mi|km|-1}} from the mouth of the river in the Aiome foothills.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0307-3114%28193607%2F12%2966%3C269%3ATPOTAM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage |title=The Pygmies of the Aiome Mountains, Mandated Territory of New Guinea |doi=10.2307/2844082 |author=Lord Moyne |coauthor=Kathleen Haddon |month=Jul - Dec |year=1936|abbr=on |journal=The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland |volume=66 |pages=269}}</ref>
During the [[Second World War]] in [[1942]] the [[Japan]]ese annexed the entire Territory of New Guinea from the Australians. Intense fighting occurred between the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] and the [[Australian Army|Australian]] and [[United States Army|US Armies]] to recapture New Guinea. During the [[Finisterre Range campaign]] in [[1943]] and [[1944]] the Ramu valley became the scene of a major battle.
==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
*{{Cite book |title=New Guinea: The Last Unknown |first=Gavin |last=Souter |year=1963 ||publisher=Angus & Robertson |isbn= 0207946272}}
==Image gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Ramu.png|The last 300 or so kilometres of the Ramu as it winds towards the Bismarck
Image:Sepik-sediment-new.png|Ramu and [[Sepik]] sediment plumes
</gallery>
{{Rivers of PNG}}
[[Category:Rivers of Papua New Guinea]]
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