Admiralty Islands
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The Admiralty Islands are an
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
group of 18
island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
s in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...
in the
South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of
Manus Province Manus Province is the smallest province in Papua New Guinea in terms of both land area and population, with a land area of , but with more than of water, and the total population is 60,485 (2011 census). The provincial town of Manus is Lorengau. ...
, the smallest and least-populous province of
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
, in its
Islands Region The New Guinea Islands Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), comprising the Bismarck Archipelago and north-western Solomon Islands Archipelago, located north-east of New Guinea island (the mainland). This is the least populou ...
. The total area is . Many of the Admiralty Islands are
atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
s and uninhabited.


Islands

The larger islands in the center of the group are
Manus Island Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...
and
Los Negros Island Los Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus I ...
. The other larger islands are Tong Island, Pak Island,
Rambutyo Island Rambutyo Island (or Rambutso Island) is one of the Admiralty Islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, located at . Politically, Rambutyo Island is part of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The population (unknown) is concentrated on the west coast. V ...
,
Lou Island Lou Island is an island of the Admiralty Islands, part of the Bismarck Archipelago, located in northern Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent Stat ...
, and
Baluan Island Baluan Island (formerly known as Saint Patrick Island) is the southernmost island of the Admiralty Islands group which makes up the majority of Manus Province in Papua New Guinea. It belongs to the Pam Islands, an island subgroup to the south of ...
to the east, Mbuke Island to the south and
Bipi Island Bipi Island is a flat coral island located off the west coast of the main island of Manus in the Admiralty Group, Papua New Guinea. Adjacent and to the North East of Bipi Island is Sisi Island. Bipi Island consists of three villages, namely Masoh ...
to the west of Manus Island. Other islands that have been noted as significant places in the history of Manus include Ndrova Island, Pitylu Island and Ponam Island.


Geography

The temperature of the Admiralty Islands varies little throughout the year, reaching daily highs of and at night. Average annual rainfall is and is somewhat seasonal, with June–August being the wettest months. Manus reaches an elevation of and is volcanic in origin and probably broke through the ocean's surface in the late
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
, 8–10 million years ago. The substrate of the island is either directly volcanic or from uplifted coral limestone. The main town in the islands is
Lorengau Lorengau is the major town in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The town is located on the edge of Seeadler Harbour on Manus Island, in the Admiralty Islands, and in 2000 Lorengau was recorded to have a population of 5,829. History World War ...
on Manus, connected by road to an airport on nearby
Los Negros Island Los Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus I ...
, otherwise transport around the islands is by boat. There is little tourism, although the seas are attractive to divers, including Jean-Michel Cousteau who spent time on nearby
Wuvulu Island Wuvulu Island (also known as Mary Island, Matty, Maty Island, Tiger Island, Tiger-Inseln and Wuwulu) is part of the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, part of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. It is the wes ...
in the 1970s.


Ecology

Due to the isolated location, the rain forests of the Admiralty Islands are home to rare and
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
species of birds, bats and other animals, and are considered a separate
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
, the Admiralty Islands lowland rain forests. The majority of the forests on Manus still remain, but some of the smaller islands have been cleared for coconut farming. The typical tree species are various ''
Calophyllum ''Calophyllum'' is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae. They are mainly distributed in Asia, with some species in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. History Members of the genus ''Calophyll ...
'' and ''
Sararanga ''Sararanga'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Pandanaceae, with two species that occur in the Philippines, northern part of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands. They are palm-like dioecious trees and shrubs, oft ...
'' species. The Ndrolowa Wildlife Management Area was created in March 1985 south of
Lorengau Lorengau is the major town in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The town is located on the edge of Seeadler Harbour on Manus Island, in the Admiralty Islands, and in 2000 Lorengau was recorded to have a population of 5,829. History World War ...
on Manus Island and contains both terrestrial and marine regions. A further protected area has been established around the highest mountain on Manus, Mount Dremsel, but the level of protection remains undetermined in the UNEP World Database on Protected Areas. Three of the bird species endemic to Admiralty Islands have been listed as vulnerable in the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
:
Manus fantail The Manus fantail (''Rhipidura semirubra'') is a bird species endemic to the Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. ...
(''Rhipidura semirubra''),
Superb pitta The superb pitta (''Pitta superba'') is a large pitta that is endemic to Manus Island which lies to the north of Papua New Guinea. Description The superb pitta is about long. It has black plumage with turquoise blue wings, a scarlet belly and ...
(''Pitta superba'') and
Manus masked owl The Manus masked owl (''Tyto manusi'') is a barn owl endemic to Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands. Some authors consider it a subspecies of Australian masked owl ''(Tyto novaehollandiae)''. It is a poorly known forest-dwelling species, whic ...
(''Tyto manusi''). Three other birds are endemic to Admiralty Islands but are classified as non-threatened or least concern:
white-naped friarbird The Manus friarbird (''Philemon albitorques'') or white-naped friarbird, also known as the ''chauka'' ('souka' in Lele, the local language) is a species of bird in the Honeyeater family, or Meliphagidae. It is endemic to the Manus Province of P ...
(''Philemon albitorques''), Manus monarch (''Monarcha infelix'') and Manus hawk owl (''Ninox meeki''). Birds found mainly but not exclusively on the Admiralty Islands include
Melanesian megapode The Melanesian scrubfowl or Melanesian megapode (''Megapodius eremita'') is a megapode species that is endemic to islands within Melanesia. The Melanesian scrubfowl has a unique strategy of egg incubation in which it relies on environmental heat sou ...
(''Megapodius eremita''), yellow-bibbed fruit-dove (''Ptilinopus solomonensis''),
yellowish imperial-pigeon The yellowish imperial pigeon (''Ducula subflavescens''), also known as the yellow-tinted imperial pigeon or Bismarck imperial pigeon (leading to easy confusion with '' D. melanochroa''), is a relatively large species of bird in the family Columb ...
(''Ducula subflavescens''), pied cuckoo-dove (''Reinwardtoena browni''), Meek's pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta meeki''), black-headed white-eye (''Zosterops hypoxanthus'') and ebony myzomela (''Myzomela pammelaena''). Mammals found only here or on nearby island groups include the large
fruit bat Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera '' Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—flying foxes. They are the only member of the ...
s, Admiralty flying-fox (''Pteropus admiralitatum''), Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat (''Dobsonia anderseni'') and
Seri's sheathtail-bat Seri's sheath-tailed bat (''Emballonura serii'') is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. It is found in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea and Yapen Island Yapen (also Japan, Jobi) is an island of Papua, Indones ...
(''Emballonura serii'') while the two pure-endemics are
Admiralty Island cuscus The Admiralty Island cuscus or Manus Island spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus kraemeri'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the Admiralty Islands of Papua New Guinea. It is the smallest member of the genus ''Spil ...
(''Spilocuscus kraemeri'') and a local mosaic-tailed rat (''Melomys matambuai''). The islands are home to two endemic ''
Platymantis ''Platymantis'' is a genus of frogs in the family Ceratobatrachidae. They are commonly known as wrinkled ground frogs, ground frogs, and forest frogs. As currently defined, ''Platymantis'' is a large genus with up to as many as 60 species fou ...
'' frogs (''Platymantis admiraltiensis'' and ''Platymantis latro'') and four lizards, while the emerald green snail of Manus was the first terrestrial snail to be listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.


History


Prehistory

Along with
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...
, the Bismarck Archipelago and the
Solomon Islands Archipelago The Solomon Islands (archipelago) is an island group in the western South Pacific Ocean, north-east of Australia. The archipelago is in the Melanesian subregion and bioregion of Oceania and forms the eastern boundary of the Solomon Sea. The ...
, the Admiralty Islands were first inhabited approximately 40,000 years ago, in the initial wave of migration out of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
that also populated
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. This early society appears to have cultivated
taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afri ...
, and to have deliberately introduced wild animals from New Guinea such as
bandicoot Bandicoots are a group of more than 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial, largely nocturnal marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. They are endemic to the Australia–New Guinea region, including the Bismarck Archipelago t ...
s and large rats.
Obsidian Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements s ...
was gathered and traded throughout the Admiralty Islands archipelago. The Lapita culture arose around 3,500 years ago, and its extent ranged from the Admiralty Islands to
Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
and
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
. Its origins are contested, but it may well have been a product of another wave of migration from Southeast Asia. Lapita society featured renowned
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
, stilt houses, the introduction of domestic animals such as
pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
s,
dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
s, and
chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
s, and substantial developments in agriculture and boat technology, allowing long distance trade to develop. Lapita society, as a distinct culture and extended trade network, collapsed around 2,000 years ago.


European and Japanese periods

The first
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an to visit the islands was the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra when trying to return from
Tidore Tidore ( id, Kota Tidore Kepulauan, lit. "City of Tidore Islands") is a city, island, and archipelago in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia, west of the larger island of Halmahera. Part of North Maluku Province, the city includes the island ...
to
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
in the summer of 1528. Saavedra charted Manus as ''Urays la Grande''. Its visit was also reported in 1616 by the
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
navigator
Willem Schouten Willem Cornelisz Schouten ( – 1625) was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean. Biography Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born in c. 1567 in Hoorn, Holland, Seve ...
. The name 'Admiralty Islands' was devised by Captain
Philip Carteret Rear-Admiral Philip Carteret, Seigneur of Trinity (22 January 1733, Trinity Manor, Jersey – 21 July 1796, Southampton) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in two of the Royal Navy's circumnavigation expeditions in 176 ...
of the
British Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fra ...
in 1767. Between 1884 and 1914 the area was administered as a German colony. In November 1914, the islands were occupied by troops of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed from the SS ''Siar''. A few shots fired from a machine gun on ''Siar'' over the heads of the tiny German garrison at
Lorengau Lorengau is the major town in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The town is located on the edge of Seeadler Harbour on Manus Island, in the Admiralty Islands, and in 2000 Lorengau was recorded to have a population of 5,829. History World War ...
were the last shots fired in the battle. After the war, the islands were governed by the
Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
under a League of Nations mandate.
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
troops landed on
Manus Island Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...
on 7 April 1942. In 1944, Japanese forces occupying the islands were attacked and defeated by
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
forces in
Operation Brewer The Admiralty Islands campaign (Operation Brewer) was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division took the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands. Acting on reports from airme ...
. Subsequently, a large
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
airbase and
Manus Naval Base file:NABManus19455 USNavy.jpg, Manus Naval Base, Naval supply depot with piers and Quonset hut, quonset Hut warehouses on September 18, 1945 Manus Naval Base was a number of bases built after the World War II Battle of Manus by United States N ...
was built at Lombrum near Lorengau.


Independence

Following Papuan independence in 1975, the Admiralty Islands became part of
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. They became the
Manus Province Manus Province is the smallest province in Papua New Guinea in terms of both land area and population, with a land area of , but with more than of water, and the total population is 60,485 (2011 census). The provincial town of Manus is Lorengau. ...
of the
Islands Region The New Guinea Islands Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), comprising the Bismarck Archipelago and north-western Solomon Islands Archipelago, located north-east of New Guinea island (the mainland). This is the least populou ...
in Papua New Guinea.


See also

*
Admiralty (disambiguation) Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...
*
Admiralty Islands languages The Admiralty Islands languages are a group of some thirty Oceanic languages spoken on the Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South ...
*
US Naval Advance Bases US Naval Advance Bases were built globally by the United States Navy during World War II to support and project U.S. naval operations world-wide. A few were built on allied soil, but most were captured enemy facilities or completely new. Advanc ...


Notes


References

*


External links

* * {{Authority control Bismarck Archipelago Archipelagoes of Papua New Guinea Manus Province Islands Region (Papua New Guinea) Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Australasian ecoregions Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean Archipelagoes of Oceania Volcanoes of Papua New Guinea