Country Information

Geography

Bougainville is a series of islands to the east of Papua New Guinea, technically part of the same island chain that makes up the nation of the Solomon Islands. There are two active volcanoes on the main island, which is fringed by coral reefs.

History

Bougainville is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. Originally settled about 30,000 years ago, the islands of Bougainville became part of German New Guinea from the 1880s until World War I, when they were annexed to Australia’s New Guinea territories. Later, in 1975 they became part of independent Papua New Guinea, as one of the Provinces of Papua New Guinea. The devastating Bougainville Civil War, a 10-year conflict from 1988 to 1999, saw the deaths of up to 20,000, or about 10 per cent of Bougainville’s population at that time. Most of the transport and infrastructure were also destroyed, and the island’s economy regressed into subsistence. Mining operations at Panguna, then the world’s largest open-cut copper mine, shut down during the conflict and remains closed. It had provided nearly 45% of Papua New Guinea’s export profits. Tensions over natural resources contributed to the island’s civil war – many felt mining profits were not shared fairly, and pollution was a source of tension. Following a referendum in 2019, Bougainville became the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) and is now seeking independence from Papua New Guinea to become its own nation.

Culture

Bougainville is mostly matrilineal, meaning property is passed from mother to daughter. Geographically, culturally and linguistically, Bougainville is more similar to the Solomon Islands than Papua New Guinea.