New Ireland (island)
| Native name: Niu Ailan | |
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New Ireland's main towns and nearby islands
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 New Ireland
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| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 3°20′S 152°00′E / 3.33°S 152°E |
| Archipelago | Bismarck Archipelago |
| Area | 7,404 km2 (2,859 sq mi) |
| Length | 360 km (224 mi) |
| Width | 10 km (6 mi) - 40 km (25 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,379 m (7,805 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Taron |
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Papua New Guinea
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| Province | New Ireland Province |
| Largest settlement | Kavieng (pop. 10,600) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 118,350 (2002) |
New Ireland (Tok Pisin: Niu Ailan, also called Latangai) is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area with ca. 120,000 people. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by Saint George's Channel. The administrative centre of the island and of New Ireland province is the town of Kavieng located at the northern end of the island. While the island was part of German New Guinea, it was named Neumecklenburg ("New Mecklenburg").
The island is part of the Bismarck Archipelago and is often described as having the shape of a musket. For much of its 360 km in length, the island's width varies between less than 10 km to 40 km, yet the central mountainous spine is very steep and rugged. The highest peak is Mount Taron in the Hans Meyer Range (2,379 m). Other mountain ranges are Tirpitz, Schleinitz, Verron and Rossel. The island lies between two and five degrees south of the equator. The original land cover was primarily dense rainforest.
New Ireland is surrounded by the Bismarck Sea in the southwest and by the Pacific Ocean in the northeast.
The first inhabitants of the Bismarck Archipelago arrived around 33,000 years ago after sailing from what is now Papua New Guinea. Later arrivals included the Lapita people approximately 3,000 years ago. Three distinct cultural practices are characteristic of the native people of New Ireland: Kabai, Malagan and Tumbuan.
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