Editing New Britain

{{Short description|Island in Papua New Guinea}}
{{About|the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea|other uses of the name|New Britain (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox islands
| name             = New Britain
| image_name       = Newbritain lrg.jpg
| image_caption    = New Britain from space, June 2005. Clearly visible are ash plumes from [[Langila]] and [[Ulawun]] volcanoes
| image_size       = 
| map              = Papua New Guinea
| map_caption      = 
| native_name      = 
| native_name_link = 
| nickname         = 
| location         = 
| coordinates      = {{Coord|5|45|S|150|36|E|scale:2500000|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago      = [[Bismarck Archipelago]]
| total_islands    = 
| major_islands    = 
| area_km2         = 35,144.6
| area_footnotes   = <ref name="unep">{{cite web |url=http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |title=Islands by Land Area |publisher=[[United Nations System-wide Earthwatch]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207141131/http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 December 2022 |access-date=15 June 2023}}</ref>
| rank             = 38th
| length_km        = 520
| width_km         = 146
| highest_mount    = [[Mount Ulawun]]
| elevation_m      = 2,334
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="unep"></ref>
| country          = [[Papua New Guinea]]
| country_admin_divisions_title   = [[Provinces of Papua New Guinea|Provinces]]
| country_admin_divisions         = [[East New Britain Province|East New Britain]]<br />[[West New Britain Province|West New Britain]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = 
| country_admin_divisions_1       = 
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = 
| country_admin_divisions_2       = 
| country_largest_city            = 
| country_largest_city_population = 
| population       = 513,926
| population_as_of = 2011
| density_km2      = 14.07
| ethnic_groups    = [[Indigenous people of New Guinea|Papuans]] and [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesians]]
}}

'''New Britain''' ({{langx|tpi|Niu Briten}}) is the largest [[island]] in the [[Bismarck Archipelago]], part of the [[Islands Region]] of [[Papua New Guinea]]. It is separated from [[New Guinea]] by a northwest corner of the [[Solomon Sea]] (or with an island hop of [[Umboi Island|Umboi]] the [[Dampier Strait (Papua New Guinea)|Dampier]] and [[Vitiaz Strait]]s) and from [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]] by [[St. George's Channel (Papua New Guinea)|St. George's Channel]]. The main towns of New Britain are [[Rabaul]]/[[Kokopo]] and [[Kimbe]].  The island is roughly the size of [[Taiwan]]. 

When the island was part of [[German New Guinea]], its name was '''Neupommern''' ("New [[Pomerania]]").  In common with most of the Bismarcks it was largely formed by volcanic processes, and has active volcanoes including [[Ulawun]] (highest volcano nationally), [[Langila]], the [[Garbuna Group]], the [[Sulu Range]], and the volcanoes [[Tavurvur]] and [[Vulcan (volcano)|Vulcan]] of the [[Rabaul caldera]]. A major eruption of Tavurvur in 1994 destroyed the [[East New Britain]] provincial capital of [[Rabaul]]. Most of the town still lies under metres of ash, and the capital has been moved to nearby [[Kokopo]].

==Geography==
[[File:NewBritainTopography.png|thumb|left|230px|Topography of New Britain]]
[[File:NewBritain2022OSM.png|thumb|330px|New Britain, with selected volcanoes named in red]]
[[File:Bamus, Ulawun, and Lolobau from space.jpg|right|330px|thumb|''Ulawun Volcano and Lolobau Island'']]

New Britain extends from 148°18′28″ to 152°24′15″ E longitude and from 4°08′00″ to 6°18′57″ S latitude. It is crescent-shaped, approximately {{cvt|520|km|mi}} along its southeastern coastline, and from {{cvt|29|to|146|km}} wide, not including a small central peninsula. The air-line distance from west to east is {{cvt|477|km|mi}}. The island is the [[List of islands by area|38th largest in the world]], with an area of {{cvt|35140|km2|sqmi}}.

Steep cliffs form some sections of the coastline; in others the mountains are further inland, and the coastal area is flat and bordered by coral reefs. The highest point, at {{convert|2334|m|ft}}, is the [[stratovolcano]] [[Mount Ulawun]] in the east.<ref>{{cite web |title=Melanesia |url=https://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=75 |website=Peakbagger |access-date=25 March 2020 |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020215132/https://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=75 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ulawun Volcano |url=https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/ulawun.html |website=Volcano Discovery |access-date=25 March 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610053134/https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/ulawun.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  Most of the terrain is covered with tropical rainforest, and several large rivers are fed by the high rainfall.

The Nakanai Range in East New Britain is composed largely of limestone [[karst]], which extends from the mountain peaks to the southern coast.  Erosion of the porous limestone has created large sinkholes, or dolines, and extensive caves and river cave systems.  The Nakanai Caves, together with two other [[karst]] regions on the New Guinea mainland, were nominated to the [[World Heritage Tentative List]] in 2007 as The Sublime Karsts of Papua New Guinea.<ref>Gabriel, J., Specht, J., Leavesley, M., Kelly, M., Wood, M., Foale, S., Filer, C., McIntyre-Tamwoy, S., Bourke, R. M., Gill, D., & Sounier, J-P. (2018). The Nakanai Ranges of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Cairns: James Cook University.</ref>

==Administrative divisions==

New Britain forms part of the [[Islands Region]], one of four [[regions of Papua New Guinea]]. It comprises the mainland of two [[Provinces of Papua New Guinea|province]]s:
* [[East New Britain]] with headquarters in [[Kokopo]] (formerly in Rabaul)
* [[West New Britain]] with headquarters in [[Kimbe]]

== History ==
In research science, there is evidence with Pleistocene-era cultural deposits discovered in open-site excavations in near Yombon, which show that New Britain has been inhabited by indigenous Papuans for thousands of years, with human occupation dating back to 21,000 BC.<ref name="kirch">{{cite book|last=Kirch|first=Patrick Vinton |year=1997|title=The Lapita Peoples: Ancestors of the Oceanic World|location=Oxford|publisher= Blackwell|pages=29–32}}</ref>

=== Modern history ===
{{For|the missionary history|Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Solomon Islands}}

====Before 1700====
First noted in Europe by the explorer Sir Harper Matthew. Claimed by the Crown of England.

====1700–1914====
[[William Dampier]] became the first known British man to visit New Britain on 27 February 1700; he dubbed the island with the Latin name ''Nova Britannia'' (Eng: ''New [[Britain (placename)|Britain]]'').

Whaling ships from Britain, Australia and America called at the island in the 19th century for food, water and wood. The first on record was the ''Roscoe'' in 1822. The last known whaling visitor was the ''Palmetto'' in 1881.<ref>Langdon, Robert (1984) ''Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific ports and islands visited by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century'', Canberra,, Pacific Manuscripts Bureau, p.186. {{ISBN|086784471X}}</ref>

In November 1884, Germany proclaimed its [[protectorate]] over the New Britain Archipelago; the German colonial administration gave New Britain and [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]] the names of Neupommern (or Neu-Pommern; "New [[Pomerania]]") and [[New Ireland (island)|Neumecklenburg]] (or Neu-Mecklenburg; "New [[Mecklenburg]]") respectively, and the whole island group was renamed the Bismarck Archipelago. New Britain became part of [[German New Guinea]].

In 1909, the [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] population was estimated at 190,000; the foreign population at 773 (474 white). The expatriate population was practically confined to the northeastern [[Gazelle Peninsula]], which included the capital, [[Kokopo|Herbertshöhe]] (now Kokopo). At the time {{convert|5,448|ha}} had been converted to plantations, primarily growing [[copra]], cotton, coffee and rubber. Westerners avoided exploring the interior initially, believing that the indigenous peoples were warlike and would fiercely resist intrusions.

[[File:Deutsch-Neuguinea-Rekruten.jpg|thumb|220px|Native recruits during drill in [[German New Guinea]], 1910]]

====World War I====
On 11 September 1914, New Britain became the site of one of the [[World War I#Opening hostilities|earliest battles of World War I]] when the [[Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force]] landed on the island. They quickly overwhelmed the German forces and occupied the island for the duration of the war.

====Interwar period====
After [[World War I]], the [[Treaty of Versailles]] was signed in June 1919. Germany was stripped of all its possessions outside Europe. In 1920 the [[League of Nations]] included New Britain, along with the former German colony on New Guinea, in the [[Territory of New Guinea]], a mandated territory of Australia.

====World War II====
[[File:Native New British Islanders 1944.jpg|thumb|left|Two photographs of native New British Islanders, 1944]]
{{main|New Britain campaign}}
During [[World War II]] the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] attacked New Britain soon after the outbreak of hostilities in the Pacific Ocean. Strategic bases at [[Rabaul]] and [[Kavieng]] ([[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]]) were defended by a small Australian detachment, [[Lark Force]]. During January 1942, the Japanese heavily bombed [[Rabaul]]. On 23 January, [[Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces|Japanese marines]] landed by the thousands, starting the [[Battle of Rabaul (1942)|Battle of Rabaul]]. Two hundred and fifty civilians were evacuated from places on New Britain in March 1942,<ref name="PIM1946-8">{{cite web |last=Freund |first=A. P. H. |work=XVII(1) Pacific Islands Monthly |title=250 Rabaul Refugees Were Rescued in New Britain in March, 1942 |date=19 July 1946 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-316132682/view?partId=nla.obj-316142906#page/n45/mode/1up |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929074701/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-316132682/view?partId=nla.obj-316142906#page/n45/mode/1up |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="PIM1946-9">{{cite web |last=Freund |first=A. P. H. |work=XVII(2) Pacific Islands Monthly |title=Dodging The Japs Around Vitiaz Straits In 1942 |date=19 September 1946 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-316132939/view?partId=nla.obj-316143422#page/n16/mode/1up |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929075731/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-316132939/view?partId=nla.obj-316143422#page/n16/mode/1up |url-status=live }}</ref> but others were captured in Rabaul when it fell. The Japanese used Rabaul as a key base until 1944; it served as the key point for the failed invasion of [[Port Moresby]] on [[New Guinea]] (May to November 1942).

[[File:Japanese flags are displayed by the weary Marines.jpg|thumb|Men of the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] display Japanese flags captured during the [[Battle of Cape Gloucester]].]]
New Britain was invaded by the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|U.S. 1st Marine Division]] in the [[Cape Gloucester (Papua New Guinea)|Cape Gloucester]] area of the very western end of the island, and also by [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] soldiers at some other coastal points. As for Cape Gloucester, with its swamps and mosquitos, the Marines said that it was "worse than [[Guadalcanal campaign|Guadalcanal]]". They captured an airfield but accomplished little toward reducing the Japanese base at Rabaul.

The [[Operation Cartwheel|Allied plan]] involved bypassing Rabaul by surrounding it with air and naval bases on surrounding islands and on New Britain itself. The adjacent island of [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]] was bypassed altogether. Much of the story from the Japanese side, especially the two suicide charges by the Baalen group, are retold in [[Shigeru Mizuki]]'s ''[[Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths]]''. The factual telemovie ''[[Sisters of War]]'' recounts experiences of [[Australian Army]] nurses and Catholic nuns during the conflict.

====After 1945====
[[File:Rabaul.jpg|thumb|Rabaul and [[Tavurvur]] volcano]]
The population of the main town of Rabaul was evacuated as a result of volcanic activity in 1994 which buried the town under a thick layer of volcanic ash.

==People and culture==
The indigenous people of New Britain fall into two main groups: the [[Indigenous people of New Guinea|Papuans]], who have inhabited the island for tens of thousands of years, and the [[Austronesian people|Austronesians]], who arrived around three thousand years ago. There are around ten Papuan languages spoken and about forty Austronesian languages, as well as [[Tok Pisin]] and English. The Papuan population is largely confined to the eastern third of the island and a couple of small enclaves in the central highlands. At [[Jacquinot Bay]], in the south-east, they live beside the beach where a waterfall crashes directly into the sea.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tansley |first=Craig |title=Treasure Islands |work=[[The Age]] |pages=Traveller supplement (pp. 10–11) |publisher=[[Fairfax Media]] |date=24 January 2009 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-feature/treasure-islands-20090121-7mbc.html?page=-1 |access-date=27 January 2009 |archive-date=26 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126125640/https://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-feature/treasure-islands-20090121-7mbc.html?page=-1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Die Gartenlaube (1882) b 697.jpg|thumb|New Britain, {{circa|1882}}]]

The population of New Britain was 493,585 in 2010. Austronesian people make up the majority on the island. The major towns are [[Rabaul]]/[[Kokopo]] in [[East New Britain]] and [[Kimbe]] in [[West New Britain]].

New Britain hosts diverse and complex traditional cultures. While the [[Tolai people|Tolai]] of the Rabaul area of East New Britain have a [[matrilineal]] society, other groups are [[patrilineal]] in structure. There are numerous traditions which remain active today, such as the ''[[Duk-Duk|dukduk]]'' secret society (also known as ''tubuan'') in the Tolai area.

==Languages==
Non-[[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] ([[Papuan languages|Papuan]]) languages spoken on New Britain:<ref name="Stebbins-Island">{{cite book |last1=Stebbins |first1=Tonya |last2=Evans |first2=Bethwyn |last3=Terrill |first3=Angela |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The Papuan languages of Island Melanesia |series=The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=775–894 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}</ref>{{rp|784}}

* [[Taulil–Butam languages]]: [[Taulil language|Taulil]], [[Butam language|Butam]] (extinct) (originally from [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]])
* ''[[Sulka language|Sulka]]'' (originally from [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]])
* [[Baining languages]]: [[Mali language|Mali]], [[Qaqet language|Kaket]], [[Kairak language|Kairak]], [[Simbali language|Simbali]], [[Ura language (Papua New Guinea)|Ura]]
* ''[[Kol language (Papua New Guinea)|Kol]]''
* ''[[Makolkol language|Makolkol]]''
* ''[[Anêm language|Anêm]]''
* ''[[Ata language|Ata]]''

The last two are spoken in [[West New Britain]], and the rest in [[East New Britain]]. 

Austronesian languages include [[Tolai language|Tolai]], [[Lungalunga language|Lungalunga]], Siasi, Kimbe, [[Lamogai language|Lamogai]], [[Mengen language|Mengen]] and other [[ North New Guinea languages]].

==Ecology==
The island is part of two [[ecoregion]]s. The [[New Britain–New Ireland lowland rain forests]] extend from sea level to {{convert|1000|m|ft}} elevation. The [[New Britain–New Ireland montane rain forests]] cover the mountains of New Britain above {{convert|1000|m|ft}} elevation.

Forests on New Britain have been rapidly destroyed in recent years, largely to clear land for [[oil palm]] plantations.
Lowland [[rainforest]] has been hardest hit, with nearly a quarter of the forest below {{convert|100|m|ft}} disappearing between 1989 and 2000. If those rates of [[deforestation]] continue, it is estimated that all forest below {{convert|200|m|ft}} will be cleared by 2060.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Buchanan |first1=Graeme |last2=Butchart |first2=Stuart |last3=Dutson |first3=Guy |last4=Pilgrim |first4=John D. |last5=Steininger |first5=Mark K. |last6=Bishop |first6=K. David |last7=Mayaux |first7=Philippe |year=2008 |title=Using remote sensing to inform conservation status assessment: estimates of recent deforestation rates on New Britain and the impacts upon endemic birds |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=141 |issue=1 |pages=56–66 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2007.08.023 |bibcode=2008BCons.141...56B |url=http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC40005 |issn=0006-3207 |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-date=21 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421031155/http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC40005 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/sowb/casestudy/in-papua-new-guinea-deforestation-for-oil-palm-plantations-is-causing-declines-in-endemic-birds- |title=In Papua New Guinea, deforestation for oil palm plantations is causing declines in endemic birds |year=2008 |publisher=[[BirdLife International]] |access-date=15 June 2023 |archive-date=3 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603070308/http://datazone.birdlife.org/sowb/casestudy/in-papua-new-guinea-deforestation-for-oil-palm-plantations-is-causing-declines-in-endemic-birds- |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite this, most forest birds on New Britain are still widespread and secure in conservation status, though some forest-dependent species such as the [[White-mantled kingfisher|New Britain kingfisher]] are considered to be at risk of extinction if current trends continue.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=Robert A. |last2=Dutson |first2=Guy |last3=Szabo |first3=Judit K. |year=2018 |title=Conservation status of threatened and endemic birds of New Britain, Papua New Guinea |journal=Bird Conservation International |language=en |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=439–450 |doi=10.1017/S0959270917000156 |issn=0959-2709 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Postage stamps of New Britain]]

==References and sources==
===References===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{Catholic|wstitle=Vicariate Apostolic of New Pomerania|author=Thomas Kennedy}}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=New Pomerania}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary}}

* [http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/solomon_islands.htm Nationsonline.org: Solomon Islands]
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_map.asp?name=PG&seq=140 Ethnologue.com: Map of languages of New Britain]
* Australian War Memorial, [http://www.awm.gov.au/units/event_145.asp Operations against German Pacific territories] — ''(6 August−6 November 1914)''.
{{Commons category|position=left|New Britain}}

{{Districts of New Britain}}
{{Islands of Papua New Guinea|state=collapsed}}
{{World's largest islands}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:New Britain| ]]
[[Category:Islands of Papua New Guinea]]
[[Category:Islands Region (Papua New Guinea)]]
[[Category:Islands of New Britain]]
[[Category:Bismarck Archipelago]]