Madang

Last updated
Madang
Town
Madang Lighthouse.jpg
Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse, Kalibobo, Madang
Papua New Guinea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Madang
Location in Papua New Guinea
Coordinates: 5°13′S145°48′E / 5.217°S 145.800°E / -5.217; 145.800
CountryFlag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea
Province Madang Province
District Madang District
Established1884
Elevation
3 m (10 ft)
Population
 (2013)
  Total29,339
Time zone UTC+10 (AEST)
Climate Af

Madang (old German name: Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen) [1] is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 (in 2005) on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century.

Contents

History

Ukrainian biologist Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai was probably the first European to visit the area. In 1871 he stayed at Astrolabe Bay south of present-day Madang for 15 months. He had a good relationship with the local communities before leaving, suffering from malaria.

In April 1884 an expedition by the German New Guinea Company led by Otto Finsch and Eduard Dallmann arrived and named the landing point "Friedrich Wilhelmshafen"; however, they felt that the area was unsuitable for a settlement. A subsequent survey in 1888 mentioned good soil conditions that would make a coffee plantation possible. In the summer of 1891 a station was built and by September 1892 was the seat of the provincial administration; however, the Imperial Government Commissioner remained at Stephansort, some 23 kilometers away due to concerns about malaria. The name of "Madang" was used by Papuan natives who had accompanied the German administrators after their home island and only became the official name of the settlement towards the end of the German administration. Although the settlement was expanded from 1893-1894 with warehouses, a sawmill, hospital and other facilities, (including an ox-drawn railway to Stephansort) various ventures, such as the coffee plantations and atap palm processing proved economically ruinous, due to malaria and inclement climate. From 1895 and 1896 several German warships were stationed here for a survey of surrounding waters, during which time a total of 295 men came down with malaria. In 1899 the capital of the New Guinea Company was transferred to Herbertshöhe on the island of New Pomerania (now New Britain).

Following World War I, the area was turned over to Australia as part of the League of Nations mandated Territory of New Guinea.

The Imperial Japanese Army captured Madang without a fight during World War II in 1942. In September 1943, Australian forces launched a sustained campaign to retake the Finisterre Range and Madang. The town was captured on April 24, 1944, but during the fighting and occupation it was virtually destroyed and had to be rebuilt afterwards.

NGO presence in Madang

Madang is viewed by many in the country as being safer and more pleasant for expatriates than the larger cities of Lae and Port Moresby. Because of this, some NGOs have chosen Madang as the location of their main offices in country.

CUSO (a Canadian NGO) and VSO (a British NGO) both have their headquarters in Madang.

Save the Children, WWF, and World Vision are also present with branch offices in Madang.

As a consequence Madang has a larger number of expatriates working and living in the town than its small population would suggest.

Transport

Climate

Like other parts of Papua New Guinea, Madang has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af), with significant rainfall throughout the year and the temperature being hot year-round. The average annual high temperature is 30.6 °C (87.1 °F), while the average annual low temperature is 23.8 °C (74.8 °F). Temperatures remain consistent throughout the year, but there is variation between the month. February has the highest average high at 31.2 °C (88.2 °F). Multiple months have the highest average low at 23.9 °C (75.0 °F). July and August has the lowest average high at 30.2 °C (86.4 °F). July has the lowest average low at 23.4 °C (74.1 °F).

Madang receives 3,106.8 millimetres (122.31 in) of rain over 224 precipitation days, with abundant rainfall throughout the year but a wetter and drier season. April, the wettest month, receives 389.4 millimetres (15.33 in) of rainfall over 23 precipitation days on average. September receives the least rainfall of any month, receiving 82.6 millimetres (3.25 in) of rainfall over 11 precipitation days. Madang receives 2184 hours of sunshine annually on average, with the sunshine being distributed fairly evenly across the year, with a noticeable dip in the wetter months. September receives the most sunshine, while March receives the least.

Climate data for Madang
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)33.2
(91.8)
33.3
(91.9)
33.3
(91.9)
33.7
(92.7)
32.2
(90.0)
32.2
(90.0)
31.5
(88.7)
31.7
(89.1)
33.4
(92.1)
31.7
(89.1)
32.5
(90.5)
33.6
(92.5)
33.7
(92.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)30.8
(87.4)
30.6
(87.1)
30.6
(87.1)
30.6
(87.1)
30.7
(87.3)
30.4
(86.7)
30.2
(86.4)
30.2
(86.4)
30.5
(86.9)
30.9
(87.6)
31.2
(88.2)
30.9
(87.6)
30.6
(87.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)23.9
(75.0)
23.8
(74.8)
23.9
(75.0)
23.8
(74.8)
23.9
(75.0)
23.7
(74.7)
23.4
(74.1)
23.7
(74.7)
23.6
(74.5)
23.8
(74.8)
23.9
(75.0)
23.9
(75.0)
23.8
(74.8)
Record low °C (°F)21.0
(69.8)
20.7
(69.3)
20.8
(69.4)
21.1
(70.0)
20.1
(68.2)
19.9
(67.8)
20.0
(68.0)
18.9
(66.0)
20.8
(69.4)
20.3
(68.5)
20.0
(68.0)
19.4
(66.9)
18.9
(66.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches)343.8
(13.54)
292.0
(11.50)
329.8
(12.98)
389.4
(15.33)
343.4
(13.52)
186.4
(7.34)
144.2
(5.68)
93.8
(3.69)
82.6
(3.25)
239.2
(9.42)
280.2
(11.03)
382.0
(15.04)
3,106.8
(122.31)
Average rainy days232123232118151211151923224
Average relative humidity (%)85858585858484828383848484
Mean monthly sunshine hours 1601401441621931951982102272101851602,184
Source 1: World Meteorological Organisation [2]
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, humidity and sun) [3] [4] [lower-alpha 1]

Education

Madang is the home of Divine Word University.[ citation needed ] Madang Museum is a small museum that features natural science and ethnographic objects from the local area and East Sepik Province more widely. [5] It shares a building with Madang Visitors and Cultural Bureau. [6]

Products

Industry and farming are growing constantly in importance, especially for export. There are the widespread coconut palm plantations on the coast and cardamum is grown in Madang.

The Kulili plantation is the second largest of Kar Kar Island's twelve plantations with its more than a thousand coconut palms and cocoa trees. 70% of the cocoa and 50% of the copra produced in Madang province comes from Kar Kar.

In Madang province 173 regional languages are spoken, some of them being extremely different from the others.

Images

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Burkina Faso</span> Landlocked Sahel country that shares borders with six nations

Burkina Faso is a landlocked Sahel country that shares borders with six nations. It lies between the Sahara desert and the Gulf of Guinea, south of the loop of the Niger River, mostly between latitudes 9° and 15°N, and longitudes 6°W and 3°E. The land is green in the south, with forests and fruit trees, and semi-arid in the north. Most of central Burkina Faso lies on a savanna plateau, 198–305 metres (650–1,001 ft) above sea level, with fields, brush, and scattered trees. Burkina Faso's game preserves – the most important of which are Arly, Nazinga, and W National Park—contain lions, elephants, hippopotamus, monkeys, common warthogs, and antelopes. Previously the endangered painted hunting dog, Lycaon pictus occurred in Burkina Faso, but, although the last sightings were made in Arli National Park, the species is considered extirpated from Burkina Faso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Equatorial Guinea</span>

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is located in west central Africa. Bioko Island lies about 40 kilometers (24.9 mi) from Cameroon. Annobón Island lies about 595 kilometres (370 mi) southwest of Bioko Island. The larger continental region of Río Muni lies between Cameroon and Gabon on the mainland; it includes the islands of Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico, and adjacent islets. The total land area is 28,051 km2 (10,831 sq mi). It has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 303,509 km2 (117,185 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Papua New Guinea</span> Geographical features of Papua New Guinea

The geography of Papua New Guinea describes the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, the islands of New Ireland, New Britain and Bougainville, and smaller nearby islands. Together these make up the nation of Papua New Guinea in tropical Oceania, located in the western edge of the Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Mauritania</span>

Mauritania, a country in the Western Region of the continent of Africa, is generally flat, its 1,030,700 square kilometres forming vast, arid plains broken by occasional ridges and clifflike outcroppings. Mauritania is the world’s largest country lying entirely below an altitude of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). It borders the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara, Mali and Algeria. It is considered part of both the Sahel and the Maghreb. A series of scarps face southwest, longitudinally bisecting these plains in the center of the country. The scarps also separate a series of sandstone plateaus, the highest of which is the Adrar Plateau, reaching an elevation of 500 metres or 1,640 feet. Spring-fed oases lie at the foot of some of the scarps. Isolated peaks, often rich in minerals, rise above the plateaus; the smaller peaks are called Guelbs and the larger ones Kedias. The concentric Guelb er Richat is a prominent feature of the north-central region. Kediet ej Jill, near the city of Zouîrât, has an elevation of 915 metres or 3,002 feet and is the highest peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert climate</span> Arid climate subtype in the Köppen climate classification system with very little precipitation

The desert climate or arid climate is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert climates are dry and hold little moisture, quickly evaporating the already little rainfall they receive. Covering 14.2% of Earth's land area, hot deserts are the second most common type of climate on Earth after the polar climate.

Sarh, formerly French colonial Fort Archambault, is the capital of the Moyen-Chari Region and of the Department of Barh Köh in Chad.

Ad-Damazin is the capital city of Blue Nile, Sudan. It is the location of the Roseires Dam and power generation plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre</span> Municipality in North, Brazil

Cruzeiro do Sul is a municipality located on the Juruá river in the west of the Brazilian state of Acre. It is the second-largest city in Acre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huon Peninsula</span> Peninsula on the island of New Guinea

Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. The peninsula is dominated by the steep Saruwaged and Finisterre and Cromwell Mountains. The nearest large town is the Morobe provincial capital Lae to the south, while settlements on the north coast include the former German town of Finschhafen, the district capital of Wasu, Malalamai and Saidor with its World War II era Saidor Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Romania</span>

The climate of Romania is continental, transitioning into humid subtropical on the eastern coast, influenced by polar intrusions, and therefore characterized by harsh winters. The mountain ranges of the Carpathian arc have a cool mountain climate with high humidity throughout the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas</span>

Soto la Marina is a town in Soto la Marina Municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It was directly hit by Hurricane Alex in 2010. It is located on the banks of the Soto la Marina river, just up river from the small ocean port of La Pesca, and downriver from Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the State of Tamaulipas. 180 miles South of Brownsville, Texas, it is accessible from there via a highway in approximately 3 hours driving time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Indonesia</span> Climatic features of Indonesia

The climate of Indonesia is almost entirely tropical. The uniformly warm waters that make up 81% of Indonesia's area ensure that temperatures on land remain fairly constant, with the coastal plains averaging 28 °C (82 °F), the inland and mountain areas averaging 26 °C (79 °F), and the higher mountain regions, 23 °C (73 °F). Temperature varies little from season to season, and Indonesia experiences relatively little change in the length of daylight hours from one season to the next; the difference between the longest day and the shortest day of the year is only forty-eight minutes. This allows crops to be grown all year round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Tasmania</span>

Tasmania has a cool temperate climate with four distinct seasons. The highest recorded maximum temperature in Tasmania is 42.2 °C (108.0 °F) at Scamander on 30 January 2009, during the 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave. Tasmania's lowest recorded minimum temperature is −14.2 °C (6.4 °F) on 7 August 2020, at Central Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Albania</span> Overview of the climate of Albania

Albania has a variety of climate systems. With its coastline facing the Adriatic and Ionian seas in the Mediterranean sea, its highlands backed upon the elevated Balkan landmass, and the entire country lying at a latitude subject to a variety of weather patterns during the winter and summer seasons, however it has a high number of climatic regions for such a small area. The coastal lowlands have typically mediterranean climate while the highlands have a continental climate. In both the lowlands and the interior, the weather varies markedly from north to south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Paraguay</span> Overview of the Climate of Paraguay

The climate of Paraguay consists of a subtropical climate in the Paranaense region and a tropical climate in the Chaco. The Paranaense region has a humid climate, with abundant rainfall throughout the year and only moderate seasonal changes in temperature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Vietnam</span> Characteristics of the climate of Vietnam

Vietnam has a monsoon-influenced climate typical of that of mainland Southeast Asia. The diverse topography, long latitude, and influences from the South China Sea lead to climatic conditions varying significantly between regions. The northern region experiences a monsoonal and temperate climate (Cfa) with four distinct seasons with winters typically dry and summers ranging from hot to mild. In more southern areas, the climate is tropical monsoon (Aw) with only two seasons. In addition, a temperate climate exists in mountainous areas, which are found in Sa Pa and Da Lat, while a more continental climate exists in Lai Châu Province and Sơn La Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Wales</span> Country climate

The climate of Wales refers to the weather conditions prevailing in Wales in general or over a long period.

The Pulau River is a major river in South Papua province of Indonesia, with a total length of 403 km (250 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of south-west England</span> Typical climate of South-West England

The climate of south-west England is classed as oceanic (Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification. The oceanic climate is typified by frequent cloudy skies, cool winters with cool summers and precipitation all year round, with more experienced in winter. Annual rainfall is about 1,000 millimetres (39 in) and up to 2,000 millimetres (79 in) on higher ground. Exceptions include areas to the east of high ground ( e.g. Exeter / parts of West Somerset that are subject to a rain shadow effect and annual rainfall is closer to 30 inches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate of Turkey</span> Overview of the climate of Turkey

Turkey's climate is varied and generally temperate, with the regions bordering the Mediterranean and Black Sea heavily affected by the coasts, and the interior being drier and more continental.

References

  1. The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1974), Micropædia Vol. 6 (15th ed.). p. 467.
  2. "World Weather Information Service — Madang". World Meteorological Organisation. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  3. "Klimatafel von Madang / Papua-Neuguinea" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  4. "Station 92014 Madang W.O". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Archived from the original on 2017-10-17. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  5. Stanley, Nick (2008). The Future of Indigenous Museums: Perspectives from the Southwest Pacific. Berghahn Books. ISBN   978-1-84545-596-5.
  6. "Madang Museum | Madang, Papua New Guinea Attractions". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2021-07-17.

Notes

  1. Station ID for Madang W.O is 92014 Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration