The Conflict Group is an

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

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 ...

. The group was sighted in 1879 by HMS Cormorant, by moonlight; it was named in 1880 by Bower, captain of

HMS Conflict Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Conflict'': * was a 12-gun gun-brig A gun-brig was a small brig-rigged warship that enjoyed popularity in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, during which large numbers were purchas ...

. Irai Island is the center of population of the group. The small Panasesa Island has an

eco resort Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

with a small staff. In September 2022 the Papua New Guinea government ordered an investigation into the islands' ownership after their owner, Australian businessman Ian Gowrie Smith, attempted to sell them.

Islands in Conflict Group

The individual islands in a clockwise direction, starting in the west (Kisa and Itamarina in the lagoon): Differing surface areas, and sometimes divergent names for individual islands can be found in Oceandots: Irai (97 ha), Panasesa (63.5 ha), Auriora (61 ha), Panarakum (38.8 ha), Panibari (24.7 ha), Tubiniguam (17.8 ha), Moniara (13 ha), Ginouri (11 ha) and Tupit (10 ha). Thereafter, the total land area of the archipelago is 3.75 km².Oceandots.com: Conflict Islands
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References

{{authority control Archipelagoes of Papua New Guinea Atolls of Papua New Guinea Islands of Milne Bay Province Louisiade Archipelago