Kieta is a port town located on the eastern coast of the island of
Bougainville in
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 ...
, near the township of
Arawa. After extensive destruction during the 1990 Civil Uprising on Bougainville, Kieta has few inhabitants now, and is known mainly for its transport connections (wharf and airfield).
History
On 17 May 1885, agreements were made between Germany and the United Kingdom over the islands of
Bougainville and
Buka in the area of the German sphere of interest. On 20 September 1905 a station was built with a post office and customs. Since 1902, there was a Catholic mission station in Kieta.
Kieta was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War.
The majority of the town was destroyed in the 1990 Civil Uprising on Bougainville.
The
airfield
An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...
has a runway which was used by the Japanese in World War II, and was recently serviced by
Air Niugini
Air Niugini Limited is the national airline of Papua New Guinea, based in Air Niugini House on the property of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby. It operates a domestic network from Port Moresby to 12 major airports while its subsidi ...
until 1990. For some time after that the only aircraft to service the area had been the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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and
Royal New Zealand Air Forces (
C130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
) in support of the
Peace Monitoring Group. As of 2021, Kieta Airport is serviced by
PNG Air
PNG Air is an airline based on the grounds of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It operates scheduled domestic and international flights, as well as contract corporate charter work. Its main base is Jacksons Interna ...
with flights to
Rabaul and
Buka.
A number of Papuan languages are spoken in the Kieta district, such as
Naasioi.
Climate
Kieta has a mean maximum temperature of , mean minimum temperature of , and annual rainfall of .
References
Populated places in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville
Populated coastal places in Papua New Guinea
{{Bougainville-geo-stub