The Samarai Islands archipelago, part of the larger

Louisiade Archipelago The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten larger volcanic islands frequently fringed by coral reefs, and 90 smaller coral islands in Papua New Guinea. It is located 200 km southeast of New Guinea, stretching over more than and spread ...

, is located southeast of mainland

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 ...

island, within the nation 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 Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

Geography

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 ...

consists of: 4 larger volcanic islands frequently fringed by coral reefs; and 30 smaller coral islands. The islands stretch over more than , and spread over an ocean area of , between the

Solomon Sea The Solomon Sea is a sea located within the Pacific Ocean. It lies between Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Many major battles were fought there during World War II. Extent The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of ...

to the north and the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

to the south. The aggregate land area of the islands is about , with Basilaki Island being the largest. Logea Island,

Samarai Island Samarai is an island and former administrative capital in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The island is historically significant as the site of a trading port and stop-over between Australia and East Asia. Samarai town was established on ...

and

Sariba Island Saliba Island is a large island in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Administration The island has 2 Wards : Sidudu in the northern part (with adjoining islands), and Sauasauaga on the southern part (which also includes adjoining islands an ...

lie closest to mainland New Guinea, while the Kitai Group lies further east. The entire archipelago is within the Bwanabwana Rural LLG (Local Level Government), a part of the

Samarai-Murua District Samarai-Murua District is a district of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Murua. The population of the district was 58,590 at the 2011 census.Milne Bay Province Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Alotau. The province covers 14,345 km² of land and 252,990 km² of sea, within the province there are more than 600 islands, about 160 of which are inhabited. The province has a ...

, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The seat of the Bwanabwana Rural LLG is

Samarai Samarai is an island and former administrative capital in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The island is historically significant as the site of a trading port and stop-over between Australia and East Asia. Samarai town was established on ...

, the population center of the Samarai Islands archipelago.Pngec.gov.pg: Election Info 2007—Milne Bay Province Poll Schedule
/ref>

List of islands

* Basilaki Island * Beika Island * Bonarua Hili Hili Island * Buiari Island * Castori Islets * Dagadaga Bonarua Island * Deka Deka Island * Didigilo Island *

Dinana Island Dinana Island is an island in the Louisiade Archipelago in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Administration The island is part of Sekuku Ward. it belongs to Bwanabwana Rural Local Level Government Area LLG, Samarai-Murua District, which ...

* Doini Island * Ebuma Island * Gado-Gadoa Island * Galahi Island * Gesila Island * Gonabarabara Island *

Grant Island Grant Island is an ice-covered island, long and wide, lying east of the smaller Shepard Island off the coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. Like Shepard Island, Grant Island is surrounded by the Getz Ice Shelf on all but the north side. Gran ...

* Igwali Island *

Ito Island Ito Island (also known as Wanepa Island) is an island between Sariba and Sideia, on the eastern side of China Strait, in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Administration The island is part of Sidudu Ward, which belongs to Bwanabwana Rura ...

* Kitai Bai Island * Kato Katoa Island * Kitai Bona Bona Island * Kitai Katu Island * Kitai Lilivea Island * Kui Island * Kwai Ama Island * Kwato Island * Lesimano Island * Logea Island * Nasariri Island *

Populai Island Populai Island (also known as Margaret Island) is an island in the Louisiade Archipelago in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Administration The island is part of Gotai Ward. it belongs to Bwanabwana Rural, Bwanabwana Rural Local Level Gove ...

Sideia Island Sideia Island is an island in the Louisiade Archipelago in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Administration The island is part of the following Wards: * Sauasauaga, on the southwest cape. (This Ward is mostly on Sariba) * Gotai, on the so ...

* Sripkunui Island * Tuyam Island * Wasima Island

History

Malay and Chinese sailors may have visited the islands before European explorers. The islands most likely first sighted by Europeans in 1606, by

Luis Váez de Torres Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

Louis Antoine de Bougainville Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville (, , ; 12 November 1729 – August 1811) was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of the British explorer James Cook, he took part in the Seven Years' War in North America and the American Revolution ...

named them the Louisiades in 1768 for King

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

. European stops were also paid by Admiral Bruni d'Entrecasteaux in 1793, and Captain

Owen Stanley Captain Owen Stanley FRS RN (13 June 1811 – 13 March 1850) was a British Royal Navy officer and surveyor. Life Stanley was born in Alderley, Cheshire, the son of Edward Stanley, rector of Alderley and later Bishop of Norwich. A brother w ...

in 1849.

Climate

The islands have a moist

tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...

, and are largely covered with

tropical moist broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

References

External links

Milne Bay Province Polling list with place names (2007)

Louisiades.net: Information and advice for yachts and travellers visiting the Louisiades−Samarai Islands
{{Islands of Papua New Guinea, state=collapsed Archipelagoes of Papua New Guinea .S . Geography of Milne Bay Province Lists of islands of Papua New Guinea Volcanoes of Papua New Guinea