53-636: Finschhafen is a town 80 kilometers (50 mi) east of Lae on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea . The town is commonly misspelt as Finschafen or Finschaven . During World War II, the town was also referred to as Fitch Haven in the logs of some U.S. Navy men. The area was charted by the British navigator Captain John Moresby in 1873–74. Finschhafen was surveyed in 1884 by
106-638: A UNESCO site, and is on the list of recommended World Heritage sites. Linguistic features suggest the origins of the population. Along the southeast coast and in the Markham Valley , the Austronesia family of languages predominate. The two main languages were Kâte and Yabim , with Kâte spoken in the mountainous hinterlands and Yabim on the coastal areas, particularly on coast of the Huon Peninsula. The Non-Austronesian languages are heard most commonly in
159-762: A German missionary, Johann Flierl , a pioneer missionary for the Southern Australian Lutheran Synod and the Neuendettelsau Mission Society , sailed to Simbang in Finschhafen , Kaiser-Wilhelmsland and arrived at Lae shortly after. The mission society provided clergy and religious education for Lutheran settlements in Missouri, Iowa and Ohio, Australia, and anywhere else "free thinking" Lutherans had settled. After World War I, Eastern New Guinea came under British control (Australia) and many of
212-673: A German protectorate in the New Britain Archipelago and north-eastern New Guinea. In 1885 and 1887, Johann Flierl established missionary stations in Simbang and Timba Island . After malaria epidemics in 1889 and again in 1891 killed almost half of the European settlers on the coast in Finschhafen, many of the Europeans moved toward Friedrich Wilhelmshafen (now Madang ). Flierl established
265-633: A Mission station at the Sattelberg, 700 metres (2,297 ft) in the highlands. In 1890 and 1891, he built the Sattelberg Mission Station there and constructed a road approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) between the station and the Finsch harbour ( Finschhafen ), which cut the travelling time from three days to five hours. German colonial rule in New Guinea lasted for a period of thirty years, For
318-524: A mining right for the area and shortly after formed a syndicate called Guinea Gold (No Liability) . The Guinea Gold syndicate formed Guinea Airways Limited in November 1927. In 1927 Levien arranged for the construction of the airstrip at Lae to assist the gold mine productions around Wau . Lae was declared a town under the New Guinea Boundaries Ordinance on 31 March 1931 at the height of
371-520: A rainfall maximum during the south-east monsoon (low sun season) because the Huon mountains block the north-westerly winds during the high sun season. The variation in Finschhafen is more than Lae because of stronger rain-shadow from the north-west monsoon winds. This Morobe Province geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lae Lae ( / ˈ l ɑː eɪ , ˈ l eɪ i / )( German : Preußen-Reede , later Lehe )
424-550: Is a 19-bed facility with 1 emergency bed. It is staffed by 6 doctors, one general practitioner, an anesthesiologist, a surgeon, a radiologist, and two obstetricians. Doctors come from a number of countries, nurses are local nationals. There is also a public hospital called Angau Memorial Hospital located on Markham Road. There was a significant outbreak of cholera based in the Morobe District in 2009 and consideration of vaccination would be prudent. Three domestic airlines serve
477-521: Is a main referral hospital for the general Morobe Province area, as well as the other provinces connected by road link. It contains the only Radiotherapy facility in the country and thus serves as the main referral centre for cancer patients. Nadzab Airport is located 56 kilometres (35 mi) outside Lae City, along the Highlands Highway , next to the Markham River. Local buses operate to and from
530-492: Is an Urban Municipal Authority, responsible for the policy decisions, management and administration of the city, by way of providing the municipal services to the residents of the city. The Lae Urban Local-Level Government is a third-tier government. The political structure consists of the Lord Mayor as the head, who is elected by the people, with five elected, and three nominated Councilors. The six elected Councilors representing
583-520: Is caught in a giant geological vise and the seismic hazard is significant. More than 15 years of measurements have been analysed with results indicating how rapidly Lae city and its survey network is deforming. The Ramu-Markham Fault Zone, which follows the northern edge of the Markham Valley, is the active plate boundary between the South Bismarck plate and tectonostratigraphic terranes within
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#1732858929515636-812: Is known as the Garden City and home of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology . Lucas (1972) divides the history of Lae into four periods; the mission phase (1886–1920), the gold phase (1926 until World War II), the timber and agricultural phase (until 1965) and the industrial boom (from 1965) with the opening of the Highlands Highway. Between 1884 and 1918 the German New Guinea Company established trading posts in Kaiser Wilhelmsland , German New Guinea and on 12 July 1886,
689-703: Is strategically located in that it can supply the Highlands, Islands, Southern and Momase regions. Large businesses include: Lae City boasts of having the best food market in Papua New Guinea. This is due to the fact that the Morobe Province produces the best taros, bananas, sweet potatoes , yams, fruits and vegetables etc., which have been sought after by many Papua New Guineans as well as expatriates. The Lae Main Market also receives and sells foodstuff and vegetables from
742-586: Is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea . It is located near the delta of the Markham River on the northern coast of Huon Gulf . It is at the start of the Highlands Highway , which is the main land transport corridor between the Highlands Region and the coast. Lae is the largest cargo port of the country and is the industrial hub of Papua New Guinea. The city
795-610: The Intertropical Convergence Zone than the trade winds and with no cyclones so equatorial. The area experiences an extraordinary amount of precipitation, averaging roughly 4,500 millimetres (180 in) of rainfall annually. In fact in no month does Lae, on average, see less than 200 millimetres (7.9 in) of precipitation. Temperatures show little variance during a typical year in the city, with January temperatures averaging roughly 28 °C (82 °F) and July temperatures averaging 25 °C (77 °F). Lae
848-618: The Lae Nadzab Airport , the city's commercial airport. Kaiser-Wilhelmsland Kaiser-Wilhelmsland ("Emperor William's Land") formed part of German New Guinea ( German : Deutsch-Neuguinea ), the South Pacific protectorate of the German Empire . Named in honour of Wilhelm I , who reigned as German Emperor ( Kaiser ) from 1871 to 1888, it included the northern part of present-day Papua New Guinea . From 1884 until 1920
901-583: The Saruwaged Range ; rugged and steep, the massif reaches 4,000 metres (13,123 ft), and is surrounded by jungles at its base. Near Mount Hagen, archaeologists have identified the Kuk Swamp ( 5°47′1.36″S 144°19′54.2″E / 5.7837111°S 144.331722°E / -5.7837111; 144.331722 ), one of the oldest agricultural drainage sites in Australasia ; the site has been identified as
954-725: The 1980s and 1990s. Lae is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and geologic instability has produced numerous faults , resulting in earthquakes. Lae sits between the larger Indo-Australian plate and the Pacific plate on the South Bismarck plate in the Ramu-Markham Fault Zone where the New Guinea Highlands Deforming Zone and South Bismarck tectonic plates are converging at up to 50 mm/yr. The city
1007-644: The Equator, the glaciers left behind large rubble fields. The territory of Kaiser-Wilhelmsland was largely mountainous, with Mount Wilhelm 4,509 metres (14,793 ft) the highest peak of the Hagan Range, which separated the protectorate from the British Papua . There are several major rivers, notably the Sepik River 1,126 kilometres (700 mi) which drops from the Highlands and winds through lowland swamp plains to
1060-496: The German scientist and explorer Otto Finsch who gave his name to the town. A town was built in 1885 as part of the colony of German New Guinea and was named after the discoverer (-hafen = -harbour). In 1886, Johann Flierl and two other Lutheran missionaries settled in the area, creating a Mission station at Simbang. A malaria epidemic in 1891 caused the town to be abandoned by the German plantation owners and government officials. It
1113-522: The German settlers. Mount Lunaman and the Lae urban area have been the subject of several tectonic studies relating to plate shift. Mount Lunaman was an important landmark for both Japanese and the Allies: After the war it was believed that Mount Lunaman contained the remains of many Japanese soldiers who defended Lae using tunnels: The Lae City Council is also known as Lae Urban Local-Level Government. It
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#17328589295151166-464: The Germanic names were replaced by English or indigenous ones. Adolf Haven was then referred to as Morobe Harbour. Australian officials or kiaps were stationed at various locations within the area and in 1921 the military administration transitioned to a civilian administration, a gold prospector named Cecil John Levien was appointed District Officer (Kiap) of Morobe. On 1 January 1923 Levien acquired
1219-652: The Highlands Provinces. Apart from Lae Main Market, wards and mini-markets are also available to cater for the needs of the growing population of the city. The Papua New Guinea University of Technology is based 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) outside Lae and is the second largest university in PNG after its 'sister' university the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby . While University of Papua New Guinea concentrates on
1272-576: The Imperial Colonial Office appointed Hermann Detzner to lead an expedition to survey the border between the British protectorate, called Papua , and the German territory and to survey and map the interior. Detzner was a military surveyor. The expedition set off along the Langimar-Watut divide, and travelled by raft down the Watut River to its junction with the Markham River , and on to
1325-548: The Imperial German Government mounted an expedition to explore and map the interior. Lutheran missionaries were frequently the first Europeans to explore the interior and to examine the different fauna and flora. Following the outbreak of World War I in July 1914, Australian troops quickly overran the German protectorate (September to November, 1914) and it came under Australian military administration. In accordance with
1378-593: The Lutheran Mission station at Gabmadzung (near the Lae Nadzab Airport ). On 4 August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. As World War I spread to the Pacific, Australian troops invaded German New Guinea, taking the German barracks in Herbertshöhe (present day Kokopo ) and forcing the defending German colonial troops to capitulate on 21 September after their defeat at Bita Paka . On 6 August 1914, residents of
1431-417: The New Guinea Highlands Deforming Zone. The Ramu-Markham Fault Zone has generated large thrust earthquakes (e.g. 6 April 1999 MW 6.4, 16 km North of Lae, near Hobu, and 22 November 2007 MW 6.8, 110 km North of Lae). Geological evidence suggests that major earthquakes in pre-historic times have occurred in the Lae area, and that there is the potential for another large earthquake to occur anytime within
1484-481: The Protectorate were notified by proclamation that a state of war existed between Germany, and England, France and Russia. During this time Detzner continued surveying and avoiding allied forces. On 11 November 1918, Detzner was advised that the war had ended and surrendered himself at Finschafen complete with sword and sun helmet. He was interned at Sydney and returned to Germany. In 1918, Kaiser Wilhelmsland and
1537-727: The United States. She was never seen again. When the volcanic eruptions occurred in Rabaul in 1937, a decision was made to transfer the capital of the Territory of New Guinea to Lae. World War II impeded the transfer and the town was occupied by the Empire of Japan on 8 March 1942. Lae, Rabaul and Salamaua became the major Japanese bases in New Guinea. The naval Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943
1590-743: The Vanda Restaurant, Luluai's Italian Restaurant and Kokomo Coffee Shop. Lae War Cemetery was established in 1944, and is located adjacent to the Botanical Gardens in the centre of the city. The cemetery holds the remains of over 2,800 soldiers, many of whom died in the Salamaua–Lae campaign , but also those who died in Japanese detention on the Island. It is also the resting place of two Victoria Cross recipients. Lae Botanic gardens are not always open to
1643-680: The arts, pure sciences, law and medicine, the University of Technology focuses on research in technological or applied sciences. It is the only technological university in the South Pacific , outside Australia and New Zealand. Lae International Hotel is an important conference centre and has hosted some notable political figures over the years. Lae International Hotel ( 6°43′50″S 147°0′21″E / 6.73056°S 147.00583°E / -6.73056; 147.00583 ) has 100 rooms, furnished with wooden furnitures and 4 luxury suites. It contains
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1696-762: The border essential. In the 1870s and 1880s German commercial firms began to site trading stations in New Guinea . Agents of J.C. Godeffroy & Sohn reached the Bismarck Archipelago from the Caroline Islands in 1872. In 1875 Hernsheim & Company moved to the Archipelago. In 1884, the German New Guinea Company was founded in Berlin by Adolph von Hansemann and a syndicate of German bankers for
1749-413: The century. Most German surveying efforts had focused on coastal regions and river basins, where Germans had established plantations. The boundary between Papua and Kaiser Wilhelmsland had been established by a joint British-German expedition in 1909; the interior had not been mapped. Since then, Papuan gold prospectors had crossed into German territory which, from the German perspective, made the accuracy of
1802-487: The city, in addition escorted secured transfers are available for transport into the city. From Port Moresby, Lae is accessible only by domestic flights. Air Niugini, Airlines of Papua New Guinea (also known as "Airlines PNG") and Travel Air "Mangi lo Ples" services the Port Moresby-Lae route. Visitors must ensure that they have proper health insurance. Lae International Hospital is of good developing world standard. It
1855-531: The colony in 1899, its over-riding objective was rapid economic development, based on a German-controlled plantation economy. In April 1911, Dr Wegener, director of the Meteorological Observatory in Apia , stated he was on his way to German New Guinea, to make preliminary arrangements for a series of journeys by balloon across the mainland, the purpose of which was to make aerial surveys. In late 1913,
1908-464: The first fifteen years the colony was administered under imperial charters by a private company, in the manner of the old British and Dutch East India company , but with far less success. From 1899 to 1914, the Imperial Government administered German New Guinea through a governor, who was assisted after 1904 by a nominated Government Council. When the Imperial Government took over the running of
1961-601: The gold rush era and Lae became the prototype for New Guinean towns built up around airstrips . The Europeans lived to the East of Lae Airfield while the New Guineans lived to the West. Cargo arrived in Lae and then was transported by air to the goldfields in Wau . In July 1937, Lae made world news when American aviator Amelia Earhart was last seen flying out of the airport on her way back to
2014-404: The islands of Bougainville , and New Britain , was occupied by Japanese forces before recapture during the final months of the war in the Australian-American New Guinea campaign . Quaternary glaciers created much of the topography of Kaiser-Wilhelmsland. Recent studies suggest Mount Wilhelm held approximately 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) of glacial ice. Further north, closer to
2067-469: The next 100 years (in). Mount Lunaman is 96 metres (315 ft) high and has a radio tower at the highest point marked by red fixed obstruction lights to assist navigation. At the base of Mount Lunaman at the southern and south-eastern face are the suburbs of Voco Point and Chinatown. The terraces are located to the West of Mount Lunaman. Mount Lunaman is known to the locals as Lo' Wamung , which means "first hill", Hospital Hill and Fortress Hill by
2120-416: The north coast. The Markham River flows 180 kilometres (112 mi) from the Finisterre Range and ends in the Huon Gulf . The Huon Peninsula , named for the French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec , has raised beaches , usually created by the combination of tectonic coastal uplift and quaternary sea-level fluctuations. The Saruwaged massif , with its twin peaks of Bangeta and Saruwaged, dominate
2173-426: The number of European settlers, including non-Germans, was never very high. In 1885, Lutheran and Catholic congregations sent clergy to establish missions; they experienced moderate, but very slow, success with the indigenous peoples. Missionaries and plantation owners alike were limited by tropical diseases and by travel and communication barriers. The Germans never fully explored the protectorate, though in 1914
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2226-428: The other territories that comprised German New Guinea (New Pomerania and the islands of the Bismarck Archipelago) were administered by the Commonwealth of Australia. Beginning in 1920, Australia, under a mandate from the League of Nations , governed the former German territory of New Guinea. It was administered under this mandate until the Japanese invasion in December 1941. Most of the territory of New Guinea, including
2279-447: The passenger boat MV Rabaul Queen , which had 350 or more passengers on board, sank 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) away from the town, killing six people, injuring seven, and leaving at least 100 but possibly over 300 missing. Finschhafen has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round. Unlike many places in Papua New Guinea, Finschhafen and the southern part of Huon Peninsula experience
2332-409: The public. There is an old Australian Aeroplane in the centre of the gardens. The Bumbu river starts at the Adzera Mountain range, through Taraka to Kamkumung, Hengali, Butibam , and to the Huon Gulf . Following a flood in 1992, the population was relocated to a temporary settlement called Tent Siti (City). Angau General Hospital is located in the central Lae area next to the old Lae Airfield . It
2385-415: The purpose of colonising and exploiting resources on Neu Guinea ( German New Guinea ), where German interest grew after British Queensland 's annexation of part of eastern New Guinea . This expedition was with the knowledge and blessing of the German Chancellor, Count Otto von Bismarck , and with secrecy and speed an expedition was fitted out under Dr Otto Finsch , ornithologist and explorer. His task
2438-426: The roads have deteriorated over the years. In recent years PNG, including Lae [3] has been experiencing problems with electricity supply. [4] . In May 2023 a memorandum of agreement between AG Investment and the Morobe Province Development Authority was signed for the Finschhafen District Hydropower Project. [5] Lae features a tropical rainforest climate under Köppen's climate classification , more subject to
2491-410: The settlements ending World War I, from 1920 the Commonwealth of Australia , a British dominion , administered Kaiser-Wilhelmsland as part of the Territory of New Guinea , a League of Nations mandate . The coastline of the northern and eastern portions of New Guinea had been charted by navigators in the early 17th century, and the visible mountain ranges named by British admiralty navigators later in
2544-443: The six Wards in the city. The nominated Councilors represented the Chamber of Commerce, the Workers Federation Union, and the Women, Youth and Churches. The Lae City has 137 kilometers of roads, which the National Government is responsible for the maintenance of the Independence Drive, the Markham Road, and the Milford Haven Road, while the Lae City Council maintains the rest of the roads in the city. Due to lack of funding, almost all
2597-468: The territory was a protectorate ( German : Schutzgebiet ) of the German Empire . Kaiser-Wilhelmsland, the Bismarck Archipelago (including New Mecklenburg and New Pomerania ), the northern Solomon Islands , the Caroline Islands , Palau , Nauru , the Northern Mariana Islands , and the Marshall Islands comprised German New Guinea . Most of the German settlers in Kaiser-Wilhelmsland worked as plantation owners, miners, or government functionaries;
2650-469: The town fell to the Allies on 16 September. In 1971 the Australian Colonial Administration established the first properly constituted Local Government of Lae town and in 1972 Lae was proclaimed a city. Lae's development after the war is directly linked to the development of the highlands. Coffee and tea were being grown and a port was needed. Later priority was given on road access, and the Highlands Highway came into existence. The mineral boom occurred in
2703-409: Was fought over the Japanese attempt to reinforce Lae with troops sent by sea from Rabaul , an attempt foiled by sustained Allied attack on the Japanese troop transports. In mid-1943, after defeats in the Kokoda Track campaign , the Battle of Buna–Gona and the Battle of Wau , the Japanese retreated to Lae and Salamaua. However, the Salamaua–Lae campaign involved many weeks of fierce fighting, before
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#17328589295152756-516: Was resettled afterward and was claimed by the Germans in 1894. It was finally abandoned in 1901. Finschhafen was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army on 10 March 1942 during World War II. Australian forces recaptured the town at the Battle of Sattelberg during the Huon Peninsula campaign on 2 October 1943. The US built Naval Base Finschhafen in 1943-1944. The city is served by Finschhafen Airport , built by US military during WW2; it has no scheduled air service as of 2023. On 2 February 2012,
2809-412: Was to select land for plantation development on the north-east coast of New Guinea and establish trading posts. Its influence soon grew to encompass the entire north-eastern part of New Guinea and some of the islands off the coast. The Neuguinea Compagnie expedition left Sydney for New Guinea in the steamer Samoa captained by Eduard Dallmann . On 19 August, Chancellor Bismarck ordered the establishment of
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