Sideia Island is an island in the

Louisiade Archipelago The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten larger volcanic islands frequently fringed by coral reefs, and 90 smaller coral islands in Papua New Guinea. It is located 200 km southeast of New Guinea, stretching over more than and spread ...

Milne Bay Province Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Alotau. The province covers 14,345 km² of land and 252,990 km² of sea, within the province there are more than 600 islands, about 160 of which are inhabited. The province has ...

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 ...

Administration

The island is part of the following Wards: * Sauasauaga, on the southwest cape. (This Ward is mostly on Sariba) * Gotai, on the southeast area (with

Populai Island Populai Island (also known as Margaret Island) is an island in the Louisiade Archipelago in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Administration The island is part of Gotai Ward. it belongs to Bwanabwana Rural, Bwanabwana Rural Local Level Gove ...

) * Sekuku, on the central area (with

Dinana Island Dinana Island is an island in the Louisiade Archipelago in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Administration The island is part of Sekuku Ward. it belongs to Bwanabwana Rural Local Level Government Area LLG, Samarai-Murua District, which ...

) * Tegerauna, on the northeast area. * Sideia, on the northwest area. All Wards belong to Bwanabwana Rural Local Level Government Area LLG, Samarai-Murua

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

, which are in

.LLG map

History

Sideia Island was sighted by Europeans when the Spanish expedition of Luís Vaez de Torres arrived on 18 July 1606. Their ship, ''San Pedro'' anchored at Oba Bay in the south west, that they then named ''Puerto San Francisco''. It was later renamed as ''Puerto Lerma'' after the 1st Duke of Lerma. Torres named the island St. Bonaventure. The mission in that island was established on April 22, 1932 by the Australian Province of the

French Congregation Missionaries of the Sacred Heart French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

(MSC). By 1942, it was fully developed and became the base for other missions in the nearby islands. Many facilities were set up to provide education, medical assistance and ways of living to the native of the area.

Geography

Sideia is located East of the end of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

mainland. Its area is 101.3 km². The island is part of the Sideia group, itself a part of Samarai Islands of the

. It is located between Sariba Island and Basilaki Island. The island of Sideia is quite near Alotau and can be reached in less than three hours by motor boat.

Demographics

The population of 1890 is living in 30 villages across the island. The most important one, and where the dock is located, is Sideia. The other villages: Lamoasi, Mwalotakilili, Dumalawe, Paka, Gugui, Gadogadowa, Oba, Memeali, Kunubala, Gabutau, Makabweabweau, Nasauwai, Tabuara, Liliki, Kalu, Gotai, Wanahaua, Sekuku, Waiyau, Goteia, Kaula, Kubi, Boikalakalawa, Namoa, Dulaona, Balagatete, Tegerauna

Economy

The islanders, are farmers as opposed to eastern

islanders. they grow

Sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of '' Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is ...

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 Afric ...

, and

Yam Yam or YAM may refer to: Plants and foods *Yam (vegetable), common name for members of ''Dioscorea'' * Taro, known in Malaysia and Singapore as yam * Sweet potato, specifically its orange-fleshed cultivars, often referred to as yams in North Amer ...

s for crops.

Transportation

There is a dock at Sideia.

Flora and fauna

The following mammals are on the island: *

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, ...

Black rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

* Eastern common cuscus *

Moncton's mosaic-tailed rat Moncton's mosaic-tailed rat (''Paramelomys moncktoni'', previously known as ''Melomys moncktoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niu ...

* Black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat * Eastern rat *

Giant white-tailed rat The giant white-tailed rat (''Uromys caudimaculatus'') is an Australian rodent native to tropical rainforest of north Queensland, with subspecies occurring in New Guinea and the Aru Islands. It is one of the largest rodents in Australia, reaching ...

* New Guinea naked-backed fruit bat *

Long-tongued nectar bat The long-tongued nectar bat (''Macroglossus minimus''), also known as the northern blossom bat, honey nectar bat, least blossom-bat, dagger-toothed long-nosed fruit bat, and lesser long-tongued fruit bat, is a species of megabat. ''M. minimus'' is ...

* Small flying fox *

Island tube-nosed fruit bat The island tube-nosed fruit bat (''Nyctimene major'') is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over ...

* Geoffroy's rousett *

Common blossom bat The common blossom bat (''Syconycteris australis'') also known as the southern blossom bat or Queensland blossom bat, is a megabat in the family Pteropodidae. The common blossom bat feeds mostly on nectar and pollen rather than fruit. It is one ...

The following fish are near the island:Sideia Research of fish
/ref> *

Acanthuridae Acanthuridae are the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular in a ...

* Balistidae * Belonidae *

Carangidae The Carangidae are a family of ray-finned fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, and scads. It is the largest of the six families included within the order Carangiformes. Some authorities classify it as the only family ...

Holocentridae Holocentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, the only family of the order Holocentriformes. The members of the subfamily Holocentrinae are typically known as squirrelfish, while the members of Myripristinae typically are known as soldierfish.L ...

* Kyphosidae *

Lethrinidae The Lethrinidae are a family of fishes in the order Perciformes commonly known as emperors, emperor breams, and pigface breams. These fish are found in tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and ''Lethrinus atlanticus'' is also found ...

Lutjanidae Lutjanidae, or snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine, but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in fresh water. The family includes about 113 species. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red sna ...

Mugilidae The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since ...

* Mullidae * Scaridae *

Serranidae The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae). Although many species are small, in some c ...

Siganidae Rabbitfishes or spinefoots are perciform fishes in the family Siganidae. The 29 species are in a single genus, ''Siganus''. In some now obsolete classifications, the species having prominent face stripes—colloquially called foxfaces– ...

Sphyraenidae A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...

References

{{Islands of Papua New Guinea, state=collapsed Islands of Milne Bay Province Louisiade Archipelago