Southern Highlands Province
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 6°10′S 143°20′E / 6.167°S 143.333°E
| Southern Highlands | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Capital: | Mendi |
| Area: | 23,800 km² (8th) |
| Districts: | Ialibu-Pangia District Imbonggu District Kagua-Erave District Komo-Magarima District Koroba-Kopiago District Mendi-Munihu District Nipa-Kutubu District Tari-Pori District |
| Population: (as of 2000) |
546,265 (1st) |
| Population Density: | 23.0 |
| Governor: (since 2007) |
Anderson Agiru |
| Map | |
 Map of Papua New Guinea highlighting Southern Highlands |
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Southern Highlands is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its provincial capital is the town of Mendi. According to Papua New Guinea's national 2000 census, the total population of Southern Highlands is 546,265 spread across 23,800 square kilometers (9,189 square miles), which makes it the most highly populated province in the country. The province will be split in two by 2012, with one part retaining the name "Southern Highlands Province" and the other part to be named Hela Province.
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[edit] Description
The province is divided into roughly four distinct geographic regions:
- The West: which includes the districts of Tari, Koroba, Kopiago and Komo - the home of the Huli, Duna, and Hewa peoples.
- The Centre: which includes the districts of Margarima, Nipa, Mendi and the Lai Valley, and is the home of the speakers of dialects of the Anggal Heneng language.
- The East: which includes the districts of Kagua, Ialibu, Pangia and Erave, and is the home of the speakers of the Imbongu, Kewa, and Wiru languages, and home to the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea, Mount Giluwe.
- The Lowlands: which stretch across the southern part of the Southern Highlands province from the volcanic peaks of Mount Bosavi to include the oilfields of Lake Kutubu, and includes the language groups of Biami (shared with Western Province) Foe, and Fasu.
[edit] Declaration of state of emergency in Southern Highlands region
On August 1 2006 the government of Papua New Guinea declared a state of emergency in the country's Southern Highlands region. According to Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, troops were deployed to restore 'law, order and good governance' in the region, following accusations of corruption, theft and misuse of government buildings at the hands of the regional government.[1]
As a region rich in energy resources, the Southern Highlands was at the centre of plans to construct a gas pipeline to pump natural gas to Queensland in north Australia. The project would have resulted in much needed revenue for Papua New Guinea, and as it was believed that the instability in the region could jeopardise the project, the national government decided to intervene by declaring a state of emergency. The move was supported by Parliament, although some criticism was leveled at the government for restricting press access to the region while the state of emergency was in force. The companies involved in the project have re-designed the project to now have a pipeline which will carry gas by pipeline initially to the coast, and then underwater to a site near Port Moresby where the gas will be liquefied and loaded onto ships for transfer to predominantly Asian customers.
Mendi Central/ Lai Valley The capital of Southern Highlands Province is Mendi. The current Mendi Open member of parliament (MP) is Pr. Isaac Joseph.
[edit] Split to create Hela Province
In July 2009, Parliament passed legislation to create two new provinces by 2012. One of these is to be created by removing Tari-Pori District, Komo-Magarima District and Koroba-Kopiago District from the Southern Highlands Province to form the new Hela Province.[2] The remaining area, comprising Ialibu-Pangia District, Imbonggu District, Kagua-Erave District, Mendi-Munihu District and Nipa-Kutubu District, will retain the name "Southern Highlands Province".
[edit] References
- ^ "State of emergency in PNG region". BBC News. 2006-08-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5234580.stm.
- ^ "PNG to create two new provinces", Sydney Morning Herald, July 15, 2009
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