Duperre Islands

Bramble Haven is an atoll in the Louisiade Archipelago. Its islands on the northern section are grouped as the Duperre Islands.

Bramble Haven
NASA-Satellite
Bramble Haven is located in Papua New Guinea
Bramble Haven
Bramble Haven
Geography
LocationOceania
Coordinates11°14′00″S 152°00′00″E[1]
ArchipelagoLouisiade Archipelago
Adjacent toSolomon Sea
Total islands5, with 1 inhabited
Major islands
  • Punawan
  • Duperre
  • Siva
  • Panapwa
  • Awanagamwana
Area0.82 km2 (0.32 sq mi)
Length19.5 km (12.12 mi)
Width11 km (6.8 mi)
Administration
Province Milne Bay
DistrictSamarai-Murua District
LLG[2]Louisiade Rural Local Level Government Area
Island GroupDuperre Islands
Largest settlementPunawan (pop. 10)
lagoon area
Area covered110 km2 (42 sq mi; 13414.6%)
total area
Area covered175 km2 (68 sq mi; 21341.5%)
Demographics
Population10 (2014)
Ethnic groupsPapauans, Austronesians, Melanesians.
Additional information
Time zone
ISO codePG-MBA
Official websitewww.ncdc.gov.pg

Administration

it belongs to Milne Bay Province in the southeastern part of Papua New Guinea .

Geography

Bramble Haven is the eastern part of a large chain of atolls, reefs and islands that extends from the western side of the barrier reef of Vanatinai for a length of 400 km to the west, extending to the south coast of Papua peninsula.

Bramble Haven is located 5 km east of Long Reef and 9 km west of the Jomard Channel. Between Bramble Haven and Vanatinai are the small archipelago of Jomard Islands. Bramble Haven is a small, 17 km wide and 11 km long, atoll-like formation. The five most important reefs are concentrated around a rectangular lagoon. The reefs are wide and submerged. The reefs in the northern part of Bramble Haven have five small islands, which are also called Duperré Islands: Punawan (51 ha ), the small Duperre Island, Siva, and Panapwa Awanagamwana.

Bramble Haven stands since 2006 in the category "Mixed objects" that combines both criteria of the cultural and natural heritage, together with the Conflict Group, the Jomard Islands and Samarai and Lunn Island under the name: Milne Bay Seascape (Pacific Jewels of Marine Biodiversity) on the Tentative list of Papua New Guinea for the list in the world heritage of UNESCO . [3]

History

The atoll was named after a Schooner called Bramble Haven shipping in the area on August 5, 1846, have crashed on the reefs. Captain Charles B. Yule, the crew, and scientist Owen Stanley have all perished.[4]

The island is briefly described by Alan Villiers at several places in "The Coral Sea" [5]

This is totally wrong. The Bramble was a tender to HMS Rattlesnake on which Owen Stanley was captain. The Bramble did not sink, and no one was killed. Captain Stanley died in Australia after falling ill during his survey of this (and other nearby) atolls. The Bramble was able to enter the lagoon of this atoll and freely navigate. That is how it became known as Bramble Haven.[6]

Population

The population of the islands speak Misima-Paneati language. The language belongs to Western Oceanic languages group.[7] Only Punawan island is inhabited, although most of its villagers usually reside on Utian island through the year. The Utian islanders have many gardens for yams, coconuts, and brought cattle to ranch in the island.

References

  1. Prostar Sailing Directions 2004 New Guinea Enroute, p. 168
  2. LLG map
  3. Milne Bay Seascape (Pacific Jewels of Marine Biodiversity) UNESCO, World Heritage Centre
  4. Arthur Wichman: History of New Guinea (year 1828). Bd. 1, E. J. Brill, Leiden 1909, S. 72
  5. Villiers, Alan, The Coral Sea, Whittlesey House/McGraw-Hill, 1949
  6. MacGillivray J. 1852. Narrative of the HMS Rattlesnake, commanded by the later Captain Owen Stanley during the years 1846-1850 vol 1, T & W Boone and Co.,London
  7. M. Paul Lewis: Misima Paneati, A language of Papua New Guinea Ethnologue: Languages of the World. SIL International, Dallas 2009


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