The Bismarck Archipelago (, ) is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the

Islands Region The New Guinea Islands Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), comprising the Bismarck Archipelago and north-western Solomon Islands Archipelago, located north-east of New Guinea island (the mainland). This is the least populou ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. Its area is about 50,000 square km.

History

The first inhabitants of the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

arrived around 30–40,000 years ago. They may have traveled from New Guinea, by boat across the

Bismarck Sea The Bismarck Sea (, ) lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean within the nation of Papua New Guinea. It is located northeast of the island of New Guinea and south of the Bismarck Archipelago. It has coastlines in districts of the Islands Regi ...

or via a temporary

land bridge In biogeography, a land bridge is an isthmus or wider land connection between otherwise separate areas, over which animals and plants are able to cross and Colonisation (biology), colonize new lands. A land bridge can be created by marine regre ...

, created by an uplift in the Earth's crust. Later arrivals included the Lapita people. The first European to visit these islands was Dutch explorer

Willem Schouten Willem Cornelisz Schouten ( – 1625) was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean. Biography Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born in c. 1567 in Hoorn, Holland, Seven ...

in 1616. The islands remained unsettled by western Europeans until they were annexed as part of the German

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...

German New Guinea German New Guinea (german: Deutsch-Neu-Guinea) consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups and was the first part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of the territory, called , ...

in 1884. The area was named in honour of the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

. On 13 March 1888, a

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

erupted on

Ritter Island Ritter Island is a small crescent-shaped volcanic island north-east of New Guinea, situated between Umboi Island and Sakar Island. There are several recorded eruptions of this basaltic-andesitic stratovolcano prior to a spectacular lateral coll ...

causing a

megatsunami A megatsunami is a very large wave created by a large, sudden displacement of material into a body of water. Megatsunamis have quite different features from ordinary tsunamis. Ordinary tsunamis are caused by underwater tectonic activity (movemen ...

. Almost the entire volcano fell into the ocean, leaving a small

crater lake Crater Lake (Klamath language, Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The ...

Following the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force seized the islands in 1914 and Australia later received a

League of Nations mandate A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for administ ...

for the islands. They remained under Australian administration—interrupted only by

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

—until Papua New Guinea became independent in September 1975.

Geography

The Bismarck Archipelago includes mostly

volcanic island Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

s with a total land area of . The archipelago encompasses the

and sits upon the

North Bismarck Plate The North Bismarck Plate is a small tectonic plate located in the Bismarck Sea off the northeast coast of New Guinea. Tectonics To the north it collides with the Pacific Plate and the Caroline Plate, part of the western part subducts under the W ...

, the

Manus Plate The Manus Plate is a 100-km microplate located northeast of New Guinea. The Manus Plate was formed in between the North Bismark Plate and the South Bismark Plate. The Manus Plate currently rotates counter-clockwise in the Melanesia area. Forma ...

and the

South Bismarck Plate The South Bismarck Plate is a small tectonic plate located in the southern Bismarck Sea. The eastern part of New Guinea and the island of New Britain are on this plate. Tectonics Convergent boundaries line the southern border including the subdu ...

. Islands are grouped here according to administrative province: Bismarck Archipelago within Papua New Guinea provinces (numbers) 2012

Manus Province Manus Province is the smallest province in Papua New Guinea in terms of both land area and population, with a land area of , but with more than of water, and the total population is 60,485 (2011 census). The provincial town of Manus is Lorengau. ...

(''see 9 on the map'') **

Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-co ...

, group of 18 islands including: ***

Manus Island Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...

, main island ***

Los Negros Island Los Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus I ...

***

Lou Island Lou Island is an island of the Admiralty Islands, part of the Bismarck Archipelago, located in northern Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent Stat ...

*** Ndrova Island *** Tong Island ***

Baluan Island Baluan Island (formerly known as Saint Patrick Island) is the southernmost island of the Admiralty Islands group which makes up the majority of Manus Province in Papua New Guinea. It belongs to the Pam Islands, an island subgroup to the south of ...

***

Pak Island Pak Island is an island of Papua New Guinea. It is in the Admiralty Islands group of the Bismarck Archipelago The Bismarck Archipelago (, ) is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is pa ...

*** Purdy Islands ***

Rambutyo Island Rambutyo Island (or Rambutso Island) is one of the Admiralty Islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, located at . Politically, Rambutyo Island is part of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The population (unknown) is concentrated on the west coast. V ...

***

St. Andrews Islands St. Andrews Islands is a group of islands of Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niug ...

** Western Islands, with: ***

Aua Island Aua is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago. It is part of the Western Islands, region and Manus Province of northern Papua New Guinea. History The first sighting by Europeans of Aua island was by the Spanish navigator Iñigo Órtiz de Rete ...

***

Hermit Islands The Hermit Islands are a group of 17 islands within the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Their coordinates are . History The first sighting by Europeans of Hermit islands was by the Spanish navigator Iñigo Órtiz ...

***

Kaniet Islands The Kaniet Islands are the easternmost group islands within the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. It consists four islands and one islet. Their coordinates are , located north-east of the Hermit Islands. Sae Island is ...

(Anchorite) ****

Sae Island Sae Island is the northernmost island within the Western Islands, Papua New Guinea, Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. It is located just north-west of the Kaniet Islands, under which it is often subsumed, although the ...

***

Ninigo Islands The Ninigo Islands are a group of 31 islands within the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Their coordinates are . History The first settlers on the Ninigo Islands were the Melanesians. Other groups later settled i ...

***

Wuvulu Island Wuvulu Island (also known as Mary Island, Matty, Maty Island, Tiger Island, Tiger-Inseln and Wuwulu) is part of the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, part of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. It is the wes ...

New Ireland Province New Ireland Province, formerly New Mecklenburg (german: Neu-Mecklenburg), and Nova Hibernia, is the northeasternmost province of Papua New Guinea. Physical geography The largest island of the province is New Ireland. Also part of the province a ...

(12) ** New Ireland or also Niu Ailan, main island ** New Hanover or Lavongai ** St Matthias Islands ** Tabar Group ** Lihir Group **

Tanga Group The Tanga Islands are an island group in Papua New Guinea, located north-east of New Ireland and part of the Bismarck Archipelago. Tanga is made up of four main islands — Boang, Maledok, Lif and Tefa — and a number of smaller, uninhabited i ...

Feni Islands The Feni Islands are an island group in Papua New Guinea, located east of New Ireland, at . It is a part of the Bismarck Archipelago. The largest island of the group is Ambitle, the other island is Babase Island Babase Island is an island o ...

Dyaul Island Dyaul Island (also Djaul) is an island in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea. Its area is 100 km2. The inhabitants live mainly in seven villages, and frequently visit Kavieng, the capital of the province, for supplies or to sell produce an ...

East New Britain East New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea, consisting of the north-eastern part of the island of New Britain and the Duke of York Islands. The capital of the province is Kokopo, not far from the old capital of Rabaul, which was largely des ...

Province (4) **

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

or also Niu Briten, main island **

Duke of York Islands The Duke of York Islands (formerly german: link=no, Neulauenburg) are a group of islands located in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. They are found in StGeorge's Channel between New Britain and New Ireland islands and form part o ...

***

Kabakon Kabakon or Kaka Kon Island is a small island in group of Duke of York Islands in the Bismark Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. August Engelhardt chose Kabakon as the island to establish his Sun-worshipping sect, notable for only eating coconuts ...

***

Ulu An ulu ( iu, ᐅᓗ, plural: ''uluit'', 'woman's knife') is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik peoples, Yupik, and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a c ...

West New Britain West New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea on the islands of New Britain. The provincial capital is Kimbe. The area of the province is 20,387 km² with a population of 264,264 as of the 2011 census. The province's only land border is ...

Province (18) **

or also Niu Briten, main island **

Vitu Islands The Vitu Islands are a volcanic group with an area of 37 sq mi (96 km²) located in the Bismarck Sea off New Britain, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. They are not technically part of the Bismarck Archipelago. Administratively they are ...

Morobe Province Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital and largest city is Lae. The province covers 33,705 km2, with a population of 674,810 (2011 census), and since the division of Southern Highlands P ...

(11) **

Umboi Island Umboi (also named Rooke or Siassi) is a volcanic island between the mainland of Papua New Guinea and the island of New Britain. It is separated from New Britain by the Dampier Strait and Huon Peninsula, and New Guinea by the Vitiaz Strait. It h ...

Tolokiwa Island Tolokiwa Island, also known as Lottin Island, is an island in the Bismarck Sea. The island is volcanic in origin and part of the Bismarck Archipelago. Description Tolokiwa Island was built up by a series of volcanic eruptions during the Pleistoc ...

Sakar Island Sakar Island is a volcanic island north-west of New Britain in the Bismarck Sea, at . It is a stratovolcano with a summit crater lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United S ...

Malai Island Malai (Hindi: wikt:मलाई, मलाई, Urdu: ) is a type of clotted cream, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, especially, in regards to sweets from the Indian subcontinent. It is ma ...

** Tuam Island *

Madang Province Madang is a province of Papua New Guinea. The province is on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea and has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages. The capital is the town of Madang. D ...

(8) **

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

Crown Island A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

Karkar Island Karkar Island is an oval-shaped volcanic island located in the Bismarck Sea, about 30 kilometres off the north coast of mainland Papua New Guinea in Madang Province, from which it is separated by the Isumrud Strait. The island is about 25&nbs ...

** Bagabag Island **

Manam Manam, known locally as Manam Motu, is an island located in the Bismarck Sea across the Stephan Strait from Yawar on the northeast coast of mainland Papua New Guinea's Bogia District. The island is 10 kilometers wide, and was created by ...

East Sepik East Sepik is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Wewak. East Sepik has an estimated population of 433,481 people (2010 census) and is 43,426 km square in size. History Cherubim Dambui was appointed as East Sepik's first premier ...

Province (5) **

Schouten Islands The Schouten Islands ( id, Kepulauan Biak, also Biak Islands or Geelvink Islands) are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New ...

The passage of water between the islands of New Britain and New Ireland is called ''St. George's Channel'' after St. George's Channel in the British Isles between Wales and Ireland.

Notes

Bibliography

* Firth, Stewart (1983). ''New Guinea Under the Germans''. Carlton, Australia: Melbourne University Press. . * Howe, K. R., Robert C. Kiste, Brij V. Lal, eds. (1994). ''Tides of History: The Pacific Islands in the Twentieth Century''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. . * King, David ''et al.'' (1982). ''Papua New Guinea Atlas: A Nation in Transition''. Bathurst, Australia: R. Brown and the University of Papua New Guinea. . * Moore, Clive (2003). ''New Guinea: Crossing Boundaries and History''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. . * Ryan, Peter, ed. (1972). ''Encyclopedia of Papua New Guinea''. 3 volumes; Vol I: A – K, maps, black and white illustrations, xv + 588pp. Vol II: l – Z, maps, black and white illustrations, 589–1231pp. Vol III: Index, folding colour map in rear pocket, map, colour illustration, v + 83pp. Carlton, Australia: Melbourne University Press. .

External links

* * {{Authority control Archipelagoes of Papua New Guinea Islands Region (Papua New Guinea) Bismarck Sea Archipelagoes of Oceania Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean Lists of islands of Papua New Guinea 1884 establishments in German New Guinea 1914 disestablishments in German New Guinea 1914 establishments in Australia 1975 disestablishments in Australia 1975 establishments in Papua New Guinea Freshwater ecoregions

History

Geography

See also

Notes

Bibliography

External links