Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak.
Wewak | |
|---|---|
 One of Wewak's beaches | |
  Wewak Location within Papua New Guinea | |
| Coordinates: 3°33′S 143°38′E / 3.550°S 143.633°E | |
| Country | Papua New Guinea |
| Province | East Sepik Province |
| District | Wewak District |
| LLG | Wewak Urban LLG |
| Established | 1919 |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 25,143 |
| • Rank | 6th |
| Languages | |
| • Main languages | English, Tok Pisin, Kairiru, Boikin |
| • Traditional languages | Kairiru |
| Time zone | UTC 10 (AEST) |
| Location | 260 km (160 mi) from Wuvulu Island |
| Mean max temp | 30.8 °C (87.4 °F) |
| Mean min temp | 24.2 °C (75.6 °F) |
| Climate | Af |
History
editBetween 1943 and 1945, in World War II, Wewak was the site of the largest Japanese airbase in mainland New Guinea. The base was subjected to repeated bombing by Australian and American forces, most notably in one massive attack on 17 August 1943. Directly to the west of the town centre is a peninsula known as Cape Wom, which was the site of the surrender of Japanese forces in New Guinea on 13 September 1945. The site now houses a small memorial. The former Japanese airfield is still in use as the Wewak International Airport.[1] In August 1945 two war crimes trials were held near Wewak for mutilation and cannibalism. First Lieutenant Takehiro Tazaki was convicted and sentenced to death (later commuted to 5 years imprisonment with hard labour) and another accused was acquitted.[2]
Geography
editThe old centre of the town is on a small peninsula, with the rest of the urban area occupying a narrow band of flat land between the ocean and the coastal range of mountains that emerges a short distance inland.
To the east of the town center is a small peninsula on which is located Boram Hospital,[3] and Wewak International Airport, which is also known as Boram.
Wewak is linked by road to three villages on the Sepik River: Angoram, Timbunke, and Pagwi, though the roads are not always in good condition. Also, a coastal highway extends to the west, linking Wewak with the coastal towns of Aitape and Vanimo, which is the capital of Sandaun province.
Climate
editKöppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical rainforest (Af).[4]
| Climate data for Wewak (1973–2007) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.8 (87.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.8 (87.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.0 (75.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.9 (75.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.9 (75.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.8 (74.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 130.8 (5.15) |
124.2 (4.89) |
168.8 (6.65) |
186.4 (7.34) |
220.2 (8.67) |
192.2 (7.57) |
177.8 (7.00) |
141.4 (5.57) |
167.2 (6.58) |
224.3 (8.83) |
188.8 (7.43) |
161.0 (6.34) |
2,083.1 (82.02) |
| Average rainy days | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 206 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization[5] | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea". Pacific Wrecks. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
- ^ Philip Piccigallo: The Japanese on Trial; Austin 1979; ISBN 0-292-78033-8 (Kap. 7 "Australia and Others")
- ^ "Twenty Gallons of Avgas For Two Lives". Samaritan Aviation. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
- ^ "Climate: Wewak – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ "World Weather Information Service". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Wewak Climate and Weather Averages, Papua New Guinea". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
External links
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