Wari Island Explained

Wari Island
Native Name:Teste Island
Native Name Lang:png
Nickname:-->
Pushpin Map:Papua New Guinea
Coordinates:-10.95°N 151.05°W[1]
Location:Oceania
Archipelago:Louisiade Archipelago
Waterbody:Solomon Sea
Total Islands:1
Area Km2:2.27
Length Km:4.7
Width Km:0.6
Coastline M:-->
Elevation M:117
Highest Mount:Mount Wari
Country:Papua New Guinea
Country Admin Divisions Title:Province
Country Admin Divisions Title 1:District
Country Admin Divisions 1:Samarai-Murua District
Country Admin Divisions Title 2:LLG[2]
Country Admin Divisions 2:Louisiade Rural Local Level Government Area \ Yaleyamba Rural LLG \ Bwanabwana
Country Admin Divisions Title 3:Island Group
Country Admin Divisions 3:Wari Islands
Country Largest City:Wari
Country Largest City Population:~1000
Population:1050
Population As Of:2014
Density Km2:470
Ethnic Groups:Papauans, Austronesians, Melanesians.
Timezone1:AEST
Utc Offset1:+10
Iso Code Type:ISO code
Iso Code:PG-MBA

Wari Island (also known as Teste Island) is an island in the Louisiade Archipelago. Administratively it belongs to Milne Bay Province in the southeastern part of Papua New Guinea.

Geography

The island is located 12 km south-east of the Lebrun Islands and 16 km northwest of the Stuers Islands. Wari is approximately 4.7 km long and up to 630 meters wide. It has an area of 2.27. Over the entire length of the island extends a narrow mountain chain that ends in the east and west respectively with a steep peak. The western mountain is 117 m high. A large coral reef is located off the southern coast of Wari.East Islet and South Islet (Kera Kera) are lying on the same coral reef at a distance of 400 and 950 meters respectively .1.3 km northwest of the western tip of Wari stands an 81 m high steep rock out of the sea, Ikaikakeino Island (Cliff Rock).3.8 km to the northwest is the 133 m high rock Mamaramamaweino (Bell Rock) .Wari was once forested, but now almost bare, the trees were cut down to make firewood for the population.

Demographics

The last census of the Ward was 1300. The main village of Wari, with 129 households is on the southwest coast. the central ridge is too mountainous to have villages. the northeast coast has some Bananas and sugarcane plantations in about 20 households spread across a vast area. other villages and camps are on Kosmann Island.Most population rely on fishing area of the Long / Kosmann reef, more than 100 km to the east, near the Jomard Islands. The villagers share this area with the inhabitants of Utian Island from Calvados Chain. A livelihood of Wari Islander is the production of Beche-de-mer from sea cucumbers, which in China and Southeast Asia is considered a delicacy, and is executed there. The largest share of Beche-de-mer is made from Prickly Redfish. The inhabitants of the archipelago speak Bwanabwana Language.

History

Louis Antoine de Bougainville discovered the island on June, 1768.[3]

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=TnHGVP_BfgUC&pg=PA168 Prostar Sailing Directions 2004 New Guinea Enroute
  2. http://www.pngimr.org.pg/png_med_journal/Empowerment%20-%20Sep_Dec%202000.pdf LLG map
  3. Louis Antoine de Bougainville: Voyage autour du monde, par la frégate du Roi La Boudeuse et la flûte L'Étoile, (Hrsg.): Jacques Proust, Gallimard, Paris 1990, S. 303 S. 303