The Middle Fly District of the

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...

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 ...

is a large, coastal district that forms the central area of the

Fly River The Fly River is the third longest river in the island of New Guinea, after the Sepik River and Mamberamo River, with a total length of and the largest by volume of discharge in Oceania, the largest in the world without a single dam in its catc ...

basin. It contains the Local-Level Government areas of: Balimo Urban, Bamu Rural, Gogodaia Rural, Lake Murray Rural, and Nomad Rural, and the population centres of

Balimo Balimo Urban LLG is a local-level government (LLG) of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. It is served by Balimo Airport Balimo Airport is an airfield serving Balimo, in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (ab ...

, Bamu, Gogodala and

Nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

. It also contains the largest lake in the country, Lake Murray.

Demographics

The population of the district in the 2011 census was 79,349. The most Populous LLG in the area at that time was Gogodala, with almost 25,000 people, making Gogodala the most populous LLG in the province.

Politics

The political seat of the district is

. Balimo is situated slightly north of the Fly River, and is an inland settlement of about 4000 people.

Climate

The district is situated on a plain. The plain is a very humid environment, and has a stable tropical temperature of 27 to 32 degrees Celsius. Humid conditions and wetlands are responsible for a major

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

concern.

Geography

The district covers the central area of the Western Province. It shares a Provincial border with

Southern Highlands Province Southern Highlands is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its provincial capital is the town of Mendi. According to Papua New Guinea's national 2011 census, the total population of Southern Highlands (after the separation of Hela Province) is 515,511 ...

and

Gulf Province A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

in the east. It shares an international boundary with the Papua province of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

in the west and borders

South Fly District South Fly District is a district of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Daru Daru is the capital of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea and a former Catholic bishopric. Daru town falls under the jurisdiction of Daru ...

in the south, and the

North Fly District The North Fly District of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea is the northernmost, smallest, and arguably the most remote of the three districts of the province. It contains the Local-Level Government (LLG) areas of Kiunga Rural, Kiunga Urb ...

in the north.

Economy

The Middle Fly District is one of the most underdeveloped economies in the world. The major mining economy of the North Fly has not benefited the residents of the Middle Fly District until recently with the establishment of the PNG Sustainable Development Program which now owns the

BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

share of the

Ok Tedi Mine The Ok Tedi Mine is an open-pit copper and gold mine in Papua New Guinea located near the headwaters of the Ok Tedi River, in the Star Mountains Rural LLG of the North Fly District of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. The mine is oper ...

. Residents of this district have previously been involved in

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

against BHP for its environmental impact on their

subsistence A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing, shelter) rather than to the market. Henceforth, "subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself at a minimum level. Often, the subsistence econo ...

lifestyle.

References