Western Province (Papua New Guinea)

Western Province Fly River Province
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Western Province in Papua New Guinea
Coordinates: 7°20′S 142°0′E / 7.333°S 142.000°E / -7.333; 142.000
Country	Papua New Guinea
Capital	Daru
Districts	List North Fly Middle Fly South Fly
Government
• Governor	Ati Wobiro 2012-
Area
• Total	98,189 km2 (37,911 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Total	201,351
• Density	2.1/km2 (5.3/sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)

Western Province is a coastal province in southwestern Papua New Guinea, bordering the Indonesian province of Papua. The provincial capital is Daru. The largest town in the province is Tabubil. The provincial government has purported to change the name of the province to the Fly River Province, but this remains unofficial as names of provinces are set out in the Constitution of Papua New Guinea and changes must be made according to the constitutional amending process.

Western Province covers 99,300 km² and is the largest province in Papua New Guinea by area. There are several large rivers that run through the province, including the Fly River and its tributaries the Strickland and Ok Tedi rivers. The largest lake in Papua New Guinea, Lake Murray, is also in Western Province.

This province is the only part of Papua New Guinea to hold land west of the 141°E line, which divides it from Indonesian Western New Guinea. This is a small section of territory bordered by the Fly River.

The Tonda Wildlife Management Area in the south-western corner of the province is a wetland of international importance. It is the largest protected area in Papua New Guinea.

There were 153,304 inhabitants counted at the 2000 census. The provincial capital is Daru. Other major settlements are Kiunga, Tabubil, Ningerum, Olsobip and Balimo.

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