Islands Region
New Guinea Islands Region | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 4°21′S 152°16′E / 4.350°S 152.267°E | |
| Country | Papua New Guinea |
| Largest city | Arawa |
| Area | |
• Total | 56,602 km2 (21,854 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,096,543 |
| • Density | 19/km2 (50/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (PNGST) |
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 populous inhabited region of the country with an estimated population of 1,096,000 (15% of PNG) in 2011.
It is distinct through its prehistory and history, as shown by the prevalence of Austronesian languages, and archeological findings of Lapita pottery culture.