| Western Province Fly River Province |
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|---|---|---|---|
| — Province — | |||
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| Country | Papua New Guinea | ||
| Capital | Daru | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Bob Danaya(2002-2012) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 38,339.9 sq mi (99,300 km2) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| • Total | 153,304 | ||
| • Density | 4/sq mi (1.5/km2) | ||
| 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, on the island of 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.
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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 including the Strickland and Ok Tedi rivers, the largest lake in Papua New Guinea Lake Murray is also in Western Province.
In the province is the only part of Papua New Guinea which possesses land west of the 141°E line that divides it from Indonesian Western New Guinea. This is a small section of territory bordered by the Fly River.
The Tonda Wildlife Management Area in the south-western corner of the province is a wetland of international importance[1] and the largest protected area in Papua New Guinea.[2]
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.
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).
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.
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.[3]
| District | District Capital | LLG Name |
|---|---|---|
| North Fly District | Kiunga | Kiunga Rural |
| Kiunga Urban | ||
| Ningerum Rural | ||
| Olsobip Rural | ||
| Star Mountains Rural | ||
| Middle Fly District | Balimo | Balimo Urban |
| Bamu Rural | ||
| Gogodala Rural | ||
| Lake Murray Rural | ||
| Nomad Rural | ||
| South Fly District | Daru | Daru Urban |
| Kiwai Rural | ||
| Morehead Rural | ||
| Oriomo-Bituri Rural |
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.
| Electorate | Previous member (party) | 2007 winner (party) |
|---|---|---|
| Western Provincial | Bob Danaya (PNGLP) | Bob Danaya (PNGLP) [4] |
| Middle Fly Open | Roy Biyama (URP) | Roy Biyama (URP) [5] |
| North Fly Open | Martin Tabi (PNC) | Boka Kondra (elected as Independent[5] then joined PNC[6]) |
| South Fly Open | Conrad Haoda (PNC) | Sali Subam (NA) [4] |
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