Goroka

Goroka
Goroka
	Goroka from Mount Sitani (Mt. Kiss)
	Goroka Location within Papua New Guinea
	Coordinates: 6°05′S 145°23′E / 6.083°S 145.383°E
Country	Papua New Guinea
Province	Eastern Highlands
District	Goroka District
LLG	Goroka Urban LLG
Elevation	1,546 m (5,072 ft)
Population
• Total	19,523
• Rank	7th
Time zone	UTC+10 (AEST)
Postcode	441
Location	423 km (263 mi) from Port Moresby
Climate	Am

Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a town of approximately 19,000 people (2000), 1600m above sea level. It has an airport (in the centre of town) and is on the "Highlands Highway", about 285 km from Lae in Morobe province and 90 km from the nearby town of Kainantu also in the Eastern Highlands. Other nearby towns include Kundiawa in Simbu Province and Mount Hagen in Western Highlands Province. It has a mild climate, known as a "perpetual Spring".

It is the home of several national institutions: CRMF Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship, the PNG Institute of Medical Research, the National Film Institute, the Melanesian Institute, the Raun Raun Theatre Company and the University of Goroka. Several NGOs also have presences there, including Oxfam and Save the Children. The town's single largest hotel is the Bird of Paradise, owned by the Coral Seas Hotels chain.

Coffee is a common cash crop in the area; smaller industries include trout farms, pigs, bee keeping and food gardens (broccoli, kau kau or sweet potato, carrots, ginger and peanuts are examples of produce that grow well here; nearby Bena Bena is known for its pineapples).

Events

In May, Goroka hosts the PNG Coffee Festival.

The renowned Goroka Show is a three-day event that takes place annually around the time of the country's Independence Day (September 16). The Goroka Show is the oldest show in Papua New Guinea, over 50 years of "keeping the spirit alive".