The North Fly District of the Western Province 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 ...

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 Urban, Ningerum Rural, Olsobip Rural and Star Mountains Rural, and the townships of Kiunga,

Tabubil Tabubil is a town located in the Star Mountains area of the North Fly District of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. The town, including the adjoining relocated village of Wangabin and the industrial area of Laydown (where industrial equipment was ...

, Olsobip and Ningerum.

Demographics

The population of the district in the 2011 census was 62,850. The most populous LLG in the area at that time was Kiunga Rural, with almost 13,500 people, making the greater Kiunga area the most populous area in the district with about 21,000 people. The township itself, however, is smaller with about 8,300 residents, and is dwarfed by

, a much newer settlement in Star Mountains Rural LLG which was recently estimated (2006) to have 13,500 residents, making it the largest settlement in the Western Province and the 12th largest settlement in the country.

Politics

The political centre of the district is Kiunga, and government representatives are elected periodically. There are a total of 105 police in the district, but only three of these are located outside Tabubil and Kiunga. These townships also host court houses. A jail has recently been re-opened in the district at Ningerum.

Climate

The district has an average annual rainfall of . A peak rainfall of over may be realised in the highlands. Olsobip, one of the northernmost settlements in the district, is probably one of the wettest places on earth, a fact that cannot be established scientifically, due to the absence of a weather station. The district is landlocked, and is heavily reliant on its high rainfall for shipping. The majority of the district is situated on a plain. The beginning of the Star Mountains is the southernmost point in the district that is more than a few hundred metres above sea level. The plain is a very humid environment, and has a stable tropical temperature of . The highlands are slightly cooler, with a temperature range of .

Geography

The district covers the northern area of the Western Province. It shares a provincial border with Sandaun in the north and

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 2021 census, the total population of Southern Highlands province is 927,306. History Separation of H ...

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

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

in the west and borders Middle Fly District in the south. The southern area of North Fly District is a massive plain, and the highlands begin around

, at the foot of the Star Mountains. The province south of this point is rather low lying, and doesn't increase in altitude above a few hundred metres. The border with Sandaun, however, rises to 3,727 metres. The total land mass of the North Fly District is 13,138 km², slightly larger than Enga Province. The district is home to the sources of the Fly River and

Ok Tedi River The Ok Tedi is a river in New Guinea. The Ok Tedi Mine is located near the headwaters of the river, which is sourced in the Star Mountains. It is the second largest tributary of the Fly River. Nearly the entirety of the Ok Tedi runs through the N ...

. The Strickland River also flows through this district.

Economy

Most of the economy of the District revolves around the

Ok Tedi Mine The Ok Tedi Mine is an Open pit mine, open-pit copper mine, copper and gold mine Mining in Papua New Guinea, 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 ...

, the largest economic entity in the Western Province, accounting for over half of the entire province's economy and 25.7% of the country's entire export earnings. Ok Tedi's base of operations is

. There is also a productive rubber industry situated around Kiunga. Kiunga holds the main port of the province, and ships a lot of supplies in, and copper from Ok Tedi Mine, rubber and lumber out. The Kiunga-Tabubil Highway runs through the district and is a main supply line, and a feat of engineering in its own right. The highway was built and is maintained by Ok Tedi Mining Limited.

References