The Gazelle Peninsula is a large
peninsula
A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
in northeastern
East New Britain
East New Britain is a Provinces of Papua New Guinea, 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 ...
,
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
located on the island of
New Britain within the
Bismarck Archipelago, situated in the southwestern
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
.
The
Rabaul caldera is located on the northern tip of the peninsula.
Upon the Gazelle Peninsula are the
Baining Mountains, of which the highest point is
Mount Sinewit at .
The Gazelle Peninsula houses
Vulcan Crater and
Mount Tavurvur, both of which conducted volcanic activity in the 20th and 21st centuries and have provided extremely fertile soils.
The body of the Gazelle Peninsula is about .
The southern isthmus upon which the Gazelle Peninsula is connected to the main body of
East New Britain
East New Britain is a Provinces of Papua New Guinea, 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 ...
is reduced to about .
[The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, (2015). Gazelle peninsula. Retrieved April 23, 2019 from https://www.britannica.com/place/Gazelle-Peninsula]
History
The
Tolai people of the peninsula probably colonised the peninsula from
New Ireland not long before German arrival, although it is likely the area had earlier inhabitants.
The peninsula was named by Prussian explorer
Georg von Schleinitz after his ship, .
1884-1909
1884: German forces seized territories of what is known (as of April 22, 2019) as
German New Guinea
German New Guinea () consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups, and was part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of the territory, called , became a German protectorate in 188 ...
and
New Britain.
1899: Until this point the
German New Guinea Company controlled these territories, then control was relinquished to the Imperial Government.
1909: Administrative headquarters of the Imperial Government in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
were relocated to
Rabaul.
[Macban, R.P. (1970). Geology of the gazelle peninsula, tpng. Record (1970/063), 8. Retrieved April 22, 2019 from https://d28rz98at9flks.cloudfront.net/12476/Rec1970_063.pdf]
1914-1937
1914: Australian forces seized and controlled
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
.
1921:
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
was mandated
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
by the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
.
1937:
Vulcan and
Tavurvur erupted, resulting in the destruction of
Rabaul.
1941-1966
1941: Suspension of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
's mandated
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
was absolved when
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
seized control of
Rabaul until 1945.
1946: Trusteeship of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
was awarded to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
by the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
.
1966:
New Britain was divided into
West New Britain and
East New Britain
East New Britain is a Provinces of Papua New Guinea, 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 ...
.
Rabaul remained as the headquarters of
East New Britain
East New Britain is a Provinces of Papua New Guinea, 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 ...
,
Kokopo became the capital of
East New Britain
East New Britain is a Provinces of Papua New Guinea, 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 ...
, and
Lassul Bay became a significant point of interest in the administration of
East New Britain
East New Britain is a Provinces of Papua New Guinea, 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 ...
.
Culture
The indigenous people of the Gazelle Peninsula are mostly concentrated within the
Rabaul caldera, particularly the town of
Rabaul.
Ethnically the people are typically of
Melanesian descent and are referred to as
Tolai by title of government. A second and less common indigenous people referred to as
Baining, are semi-nomadic and tend to live in the
Baining Mountains. They are distinct from the
Tolai's
Melanesian ethnicity. The
Tolai are regarded as being the most successful people of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
; defined by wealth, sophistication, adaptation to modern culture, and instinct for trade.
In
Tolai society, currency is used in similar fashion to coin via the medium known as tambu, a shell. Tambu can be bound together as coils to form alternative values and may be used to purchase goods in the Gazelle Peninsula. Marriage for
Tolai is typically handled in economic fashion between two groups known as moieties and the son of one family is responsible for paying the bride-price in tambu to the family of the daughter. Marriage of two people within the same moiety is not allowed and the bride-price is generally determined by family status and wealth of the daughter.
Administrative divisions
Administratively, the peninsula falls under
Gazelle District in
East New Britain Province. The district comprises the following
local-level governments.
*
Central Gazelle Rural
*
Inland Baining Rural
*
Lassul Baining Rural
*
Livuan-Reimber Rural
*
Vunadidir-Toma Rural
Villages
*
Mondrabet
*
Vunakapeake
References
{{Coord, 4.6, S, 152, E, display=title
Peninsulas of Papua New Guinea
East New Britain Province