Western Province (Papua New Guinea)

Western Province Fly River Province
Flag
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.

Geography and ecology

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. ^[1]

The Tonda Wildlife Management Area in the south-western corner of the province is a wetland of international importance.^[2] It is the largest protected area in Papua New Guinea.^[3]

Demographics

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.

Economy

The Ok Tedi Mine

The major economic activity in the province is constituted by the Ok Tedi Mine, initially established by BHP and the subject of considerable litigation by traditional landowners both in respect of environmental degradation and disputes over royalties. It is currently operated by Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML).

Politics

The Western provincial government has, like the governments of North Solomons, Chimbu and Northern Provinces, attempted to change the name of the province. The government uses the term Fly River Provincial Government. However, not having been accomplished by way of constitutional amendment, the change is unofficial.

Districts and LLGs

District map of Western Province

There are three districts in the province. Each district has one or more Local Level Government (LLG) areas. For census purposes, the LLG areas are subdivided into wards and those into census units.^[4]

Members of the National Parliament

The province and each district is represented by a Member of the National Parliament. There is one provincial electorate and each district is an open electorate. The following table lists Members before and after the 2007 general election.

See also

• Hindenburg Range
• Hindenburg Wall
• Star Mountains
• Kiunga-Tabubil Highway

References

Provinces of Papua New Guinea
Highlands Region	Chimbu (Simbu) Eastern Highlands Enga Hela Jiwaka Southern Highlands Western Highlands
Islands Region	Bougainville1 East New Britain Manus New Ireland West New Britain
Momase Region	East Sepik Madang Morobe Sandaun (West Sepik)
Papua Region	Central Gulf Milne Bay Oro (Northern) Western National Capital District (Port Moresby)
1 Autonomous region