Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and that nation's administrative and commercial center. Port Moresby reflects the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of PNG as a whole. At the same time, the capital continues to struggle with many of the challenges facing urban centers throughout the developing world in the early twenty-first century. A steady surge of migration to Port Moresby from rural areas has contributed to high unemployment levels, the growth of illegal shantytowns, and elevated rates of crime.

Landscape

Port Moresby is located on the southeastern coast of PNG, a country in the southwest Pacific that occupies the eastern portion of the island of New Guinea and a number of smaller surrounding islands. The capital is constructed on Paga Point, located between Fairfax Harbor and Walter Bay, which makes up the eastern portion of the Gulf of Papua. Port Moresby's seaport plays a vital role in the capital's economy.

Port Moresby dominates the 240-square-kilometer (93-square-mile) zone known as the National Capital District (NCD), a specially designated portion of PNG's Central Province. The city's rapid expansion in the form of informal settlements, or shantytowns, surrounding the capital are projected to encroach the territory located beyond the NCD's present boundaries.

The waterfront area is an important part of Port Moresby's historic district, which is separated by a ridge from the capital's newer suburbs. These include the central government administration site at Waigani, which is also home to the National Museum and National Library, the prime minister's residence, Parliament House, and a number of embassies.

Port Moresby's climate is influenced by its location in the rain shadow, or precipitation shadow, of the Owen Stanley Range, a mountain range that blocks the downpours that drench nearby regions during the rainy season. Coupled with the sheltering effects created by offshore coral reefs, these mountains also help protect the harbor from inclement weather patterns approaching the capital from a northwesterly direction.

Port Moresby, as well as all of Papua New Guinea, has been affected by climate change. Rising sea levels have flooded coastal areas and have also caused erosion. The nation is at risk of extreme seasonal rainfall and cyclones.

However, the protection from storms afforded Port Moresby by the Owen Stanley mountains comes at a price; the capital receives a meager 1,270 millimeters (50 inches) of precipitation annually, which periodically leads to water shortages, especially during the dry and windy months between May and October. Most rainfall occurs from December through April, when hot temperatures and humid conditions are common.

People

With approximately 400,000 inhabitants according to 2022 estimates from the US Central Intelligence Agency, Port Moresby is PNG's densest population center. Many of the city's residents live in poverty, a problem exacerbated by an influx of migrants from rural areas. Most arrive in the capital in search of economic opportunity but, once in the capital, cannot afford to leave; the lack of road and rail links between Port Moresby and other parts of PNG means that passenger traffic flows primarily through the city's international airport.

The Port Moresby region has traditionally served as home to two major ethnic groups: the Motu people, who lived along the coastal areas, and the Koitabu, who lived inland. The ancient roots of the Motu people are on display in a number of villages adjoining the capital's urban sprawl. The Motu people, who originally controlled the territory in which the Port Moresby is located, continue many traditional cultural practices, such as building many of their dwellings on stilts on the edge of the waters from which they made their living as traders and fishermen. Intermarriage has led to an extensive mingling of these two groups. Port Moresby is also home to other indigenous populations as well as a significant number of Western expatriates, especially Australians.

English is commonly used for business and government affairs in Port Moresby. Many residents commonly communicate, however, in a form of pidgin English or Hiri Motu, an indigenous Austronesian language. More than eight hundred indigenous languages are spoken in PNG as a whole.

Around 90 percent of the capital's inhabitants are Christian. Port Moresby's Christian-dominated religious life reflects more than two centuries of influence by European missionaries. Indigenous beliefs and customs are frequently incorporated into local Christian practices.

Port Moresby's population continues to expand, further straining a city already hampered by tremendous unemployment and a lack of affordable housing, education, and health care resources. Poverty and overcrowding have created ripe conditions for the flourishing of gang culture. These gangs, referred to as "raskol" gangs, treat large sections of the capital as their private turf, and Port Moresby saw increased rates of murder, armed robbery, and other crimes in the early twenty-first century. The city has been seen as especially dangerous for women, with high rates of rape and domestic abuse.

Economy

With its seaport and international airport, Port Moresby is PNG's major point of transit for the exports produced by the surrounding area's dairy farms, rubber plantations, and livestock ranches. Coffee, plywood, timber, and gold are other important exports that pass through the city.

Port Moresby's industrial base consists primarily of sawmilling operations, breweries, concrete factories, and plants for the manufacture of handicrafts as well as the processing of tobacco and food items. The capital is also home to PNG's first petroleum refinery.

The capital's proximity to rich fishing grounds and its natural harbor have made the fishing industry a key component of both the local and national economy. The trade in tuna, much of it destined for Japanese markets, is the mainstay of commercial fishing operations, and the harvesting of shrimp also generates significant income.

Port Moresby officials are hoping that the future development of a tourism sector will help revitalize and diversify a volatile economy. The rich indigenous culture, together with nearby natural attractions, could help Port Moresby draw the same crowds of tourists who frequent similar Pacific settings. The reluctance of foreign investors to sink resources into the construction of a tourist infrastructure, however, continues to hold back these efforts, as do high crime rates and a lack of political and social stability in Port Moresby.

Landmarks

Port Moresby has a number of attractions, including PNG's National Parliament building, which was built in 1984 in the style of a traditional haus tambaran or "spirit house" (an ancestral place of worship). In small villages in PNG's interior, the spirit house is an elaborately decorated ceremonial structure around which tribal life revolves. The imposing Parliament building combines elements of traditional design within a modern architectural framework.

Port Moresby is also home to PNG's National Museum and Art Gallery, which features one of the world's most renowned collections of indigenous art, as well as extensive anthropological, archeological, and natural science exhibits. The National Museum encompasses the Department of Modern History Museum, dedicated to twentieth-century events in PNG. The museum is home to significant collections of World War II and other military artifacts. It also contains an extensive photography collection documenting PNG's wartime experience. The Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery also reflects the toll of the war on the island, as it contains the remains of nearly four thousand British Commonwealth fighters who were casualties of the Allied effort to defend PNG from Japanese invasion.

In addition, the Port Moresby's National Botanical Gardens houses one of the world's largest orchid collections. Originally affiliated with the adjoining University of Papua New Guinea, the gardens contain a wide sampling of tropical vegetation indigenous to the region.

Other Port Moresby attractions include PNG Art, an enormous warehouse selling indigenous handicrafts and artifacts, and Village Arts, a government-owned shop located near the capital's airport that also sells similar items. Natural attractions include Loloata Island, with its beaches and resort facilities; the Moitaka Wildlife Sanctuary, which features a crocodile farm; Wairiata National Park; and the Sea Park Oceanarium.

History

Port Moresby's natural harbor was the site of indigenous settlements for thousands of years prior to the English captain John Moresby's 1873 exploration of the Gulf of Papua. The Motu people carried out long ocean voyages, known as Hiri, to trade. What is now called Fairfax Harbor was already a thriving port when Moresby gave the harbor and surrounding area their Western names to honor his father, Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby. A decade after Moresby's landing, Britain formally annexed the area. The British went on to proclaim Port Moresby the capital of their New Guinea colony.

Port Moresby played an important strategic role during World War II when it served as the main Allied base in PNG. Allied and Japanese forces fought fierce battles for the city, which was the gateway to controlling the South Pacific Ocean. The Allies decisively beat back the Japanese navy at the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea and defeated the Japanese again a year later when they attempted an overland attack on the capital through the Owen Stanley mountain range.

After World War II, PNG came under the control of the Australian government. Port Moresby remained under colonial authority until PNG achieved self-government in 1974 and, one year later, full national independence. The city was named the capital of the newly independent nation.

Bibliography

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