Markham Valley

Markham Valley is a geographical area in New Guinea. The name markham was derived from the Captain Markham who named the river and sailed up stream in the early 1900s. The valley consist of two district of Morobe province. The Houn Gulf district on the east and Markham district on the western end of the valley. The inhabitant of the valley are of Polynesian descent who live in large villages with a chieftain political system.

It is described as "Flatter than a pancake for miles and miles in all directions, until it runs into the mountains that surround it on three sides" and "Always hot, and usually bone dry." The Highlands Highway runs through the valley. The Markham River runs through the valley. According to one visitor, about once a year, the local Papua New Guinea burn the tinder dry grass.

The Markham Valley runs from the port city of Lae to the junction of the Highlands Highway and the road to Madang which runs through the Ramu valley. The Markham Valley is approximately 160 km (100 miles) long and gains only a few hundred feet in elevation. The dominating use of this land is cattle pasture with some sugar cane production and chicken farming. The two-lane Highlands Highway running the length of the valley is in good condition as of March 2011.

Coordinates: 6°44′20″S 146°58′05″E / 6.73889°S 146.96806°E / -6.73889; 146.96806