New Guinea Highlands

New Guinea Highlands
Natural region
Landscape in the New Guinea Highlands
Topographic map of New Guinea. The New Guinea Highlands are the large mountain chain crossing almost the entire island
Island	New Guinea
Area
• Total	142,840 km2(55,150 sq mi)
Dimensions
• Length	1,900 km (1,200 mi)
• Width	165 km (103 mi)
Elevation	4,884 m (16,024 ft)

TheNew Guinea Highlands,also known as theCentral RangeorCentral Cordillera,is a long chain ofmountain rangeson the island ofNew Guinea,including the island's highest peak,Puncak Jaya,Indonesia,16,024 ft (4,884 m), the highest mountain inOceania.The range is home to many intermountain rivervalleys,many of which support thriving agricultural communities. The highlands run generally east-west the length of the island, which is divided politically betweenIndonesiain the west andPapua New Guineain the east. These mountains stretch from theWeyland Mountainsstarting inWondama Bay Regencyin the west to theMilne Bay Provincein the east.

Geography

The Central Cordillera, some peaks of which arecapped with ice,consists of (from east to west): the Central Highlands and Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea including theOwen Stanley Rangein the southeast, whose highest peak isMount Victoriaat 4,038 metres (13,248 feet), the Albert Victor Mountains, the Sir Arthur Gordon Range, and theBismarck Range,whose highest peak isMount Wilhelmat 4,509 metres (14,793 feet), which is an extinct volcano with a crater lake; theStar Mountainson thePapua New Guinea–Indonesiaborder; and theMaoke Mountainsor Snow Range in Indonesia, where perpetual snow was found byH. A. Lorentzin 1909 at 4,461 m (14,635 ft),and whose highest peaks arePuncak Jaya(Mt. Carstensz) at 4,884 m (16,024 feet),Puncak Mandala(Mt. Juliana) at 4,760 m (15,610 ft) andPuncak Trikora(Mt. Wilhelmina) at 4,750 m (15,580 ft).

AYalivillage in Ilugwa,Central Mamberamo,Highland Papua

Although some valleys such as theWaghi Valleyin theWestern Highlands,Papua New Guinea are heavily cultivated and support urban settlements most of the mountains have traditional tribal village communities in the grassy mountain valleys. The PNG highland provinces areEastern Highlands Province;Simbu Province(or Chimbu) whose centre is the small coffee-growing town ofKundiawaon the Wahgi River near Mount Wilhelm;Jiwaka Province;theWestern Highlands;the ruggedEnga Provincethe home of the Enga people with its administration in the very small town ofWabagon theLai River,and containing the largePorgera Gold Mine;Hela Province;Southern Highlands Province,with its centre in the small town and airport ofMendi,and containing theHuliwigmen area around the town ofTari;and parts ofWest Sepik ProvinceandWestern Province.TheHighlands Highwayconnects many of these towns. Larger urban areas in the PNG Highlands include the Western Highlands capital and PNG's 3rd largest cityMount Hagen(near the extinctMount Hagen (volcano)), the Eastern Highlands capital and former colonial town ofGoroka,and the mining town ofTabubil.The climate is humid as you would expect of the tropical rainforested island of New Guinea, but the higher mountain slopes are of course cooler than the lowlands.

The Highlands are the source of several important rivers including theSepik RiverandRamu Riverin the north and theFly Riverin the south, and lakes includingLake Kutubu,near which oil has been extracted since 1992 byChevron.Mining is also very active in the region to the detriment of indigenous groups, with frequent friction.

Topography

List of highest peaks in New Guinea Highlands by elevation.

Peaks by elevation

Mountain	Elevation
Puncak Jaya	16,024 ft (4,884 m)
Sumantri	15,980 ft (4,870 m)
Ngga Pulu	15,951 ft (4,862 m)
Carstensz East	15,810 ft (4,820 m)
Carstensz Timur	15,758 ft (4,803 m)
Puncak Mandala	15,620 ft (4,760 m)
Puncak Trikora	15,580 ft (4,750 m)
Ngga Pilimsit	15,476 ft (4,717 m)
Middenspits	15,426 ft (4,702 m)
Mount Yamin	14,900 ft (4,541 m)
Wachter	14,865 ft (4,531 m)
Gunung Speelman	14,859 ft (4,529 m)
Mount Wilhelm	14,793 ft (4,509 m)
JP Coen Peak	14,764 ft (4,500 m)
Valentijn Peak	14,609 ft (4,453 m)
Mount Giluwe	14,327 ft (4,367 m)
Mount Kubor	14,301 ft (4,359 m)
Mount Boising	13,615 ft (4,150 m)
Mount Bangeta	13,520 ft (4,120 m)
Mt. Kabangama	13,464 ft (4,104 m)
Mount Victoria	13,248 ft (4,038 m)
Mt. Albert Edward	13,091 ft (3,990 m)
Mount Capella	12,992 ft (3,960 m)
Mount Hagen	12,395 ft (3,778 m)
Mount Suckling	12,060 ft (3,676 m)
Mount Michael	11,965 ft (3,647 m)
Mount Arfak	9,695 ft (2,955 m)
Mount Bosavi	8,225 ft (2,507 m)

Rivers

List of rivers in New Guinea Highlands by length.

Rivers by Length

River	Length
Sepik River	1,146 km (712 mi)
Mamberamo River	1,112 km (691 mi)
Fly River	1,060 km (660 mi)
Digul River	853 km (530 mi)
Strickland River	824 km (512 mi)
Taritatu River	808 km (502 mi)
Purari River	710 km (440 mi)
Ramu River	640 km (400 mi)
Tariku River	488 km (303 mi)
Wawoi River	482 km (300 mi)
Kikori River	445 km (277 mi)
Baliem River	414 km (257 mi)
Pulau River	403 km (250 mi)
Turama River	302 km (188 mi)
Apaoewar River	267 km (166 mi)
Wahgi River	243 km (151 mi)
Erave River	224 km (139 mi)
Ok Tedi River	207 km (129 mi)
Markham River	180 km (110 mi)
Kumusi River	167 km (104 mi)
Gami River	160 km (99 mi)
Ka River	152 km (94 mi)
Aikwa River	128 km (80 mi)
Kaugel River	113 km (70 mi)

Geology

This chain of mountains continues to rise (with corresponding quakes) as theAustralian Platecollides with the plates to the northeast, marking the southern boundaries of theMaokeandWoodlarkplates. The width of the mountain range varies considerably, with a central thin segment near the borders of the two nations.

The surface geology of the highlands is made up of metamorphic and intrusive igneous rocks. The metamorphic rocks wereCretaceousandEoceneocean sediments that were uplifted and folded between the Eocene and early Miocene periods. There are alsoPleistocenestratovolcanoesin the highlands, includingMount HagenandMount Giluwe.

History

Dutch officer inBaliem Valley,1958

The fertile Highlands have long been inhabited and artifacts uncovered in theIvane Valleyindicate that the Highlands were first settled about 50,000 years ago. The inhabitants were nomadic foragers but around 10,000 years ago began developing a fairly advanced agricultural society.Before the introduction of thesweet potato,the Highlands had distinct forms ofdivision of labor.In theEastern Highlandsthe economy was mixed, with men hunting and cultivating, and women gathering and tending crops.Populations were small, dispersed, and focused on immediate consumption.In theWestern Highlands,women were focused on producing large amounts oftaro,while men abandoned hunting and were instead focused onanimal husbandryand trading.The introduction of the sweet potato had a significant impact on animal husbandry in the area. As it could be used aspig fodderwithout the need for cooking, societies that adopted this new staple food were able to rapidly amass pigs. These pigs were then traded with surrounding societies, becoming the centerpiece of early economies in the area.

The Highlands were not settled by the Western powers during the early colonial period and they were first visited by western zoologists and explorers, such asMick Leahy,who opened the Wahgi Valley andMount Hagen,andRichard Archboldin the 1930s. It was found that the highland valleys explored in the 1930s were inhabited by over a million people.DuringWorld War II,the eastern highlands saw theKokoda Track campaignin which Australian andNew Zealandsoldiers, along with native guides who were pressed into service, fought and ultimately stopped the Japanese from advancing south towardsPort Moresbyand, ultimately, northernQueenslandon the Australian mainland.

The culture ofinter-tribal warfareand animosity between the neighboring tribes have long been present in the Highlands.

Ecology

The New Guinea Highlands are home to a great variety ofAustralasianplant and animal communities, distinct from the surrounding lowlands to the north and south of the central ranges and varying up and along the mountain ranges. The habitats of the mountains have been separated into twoecoregions,depending on their elevation, the tropical montane forests and alpine grasslands, but within these broad bands there is a variety of wildlife along the island as some of the mountains stand quite a distance from others with some species of plant or animal existing on only one or two mountains. Particular centres of plant diversity are the Star Mountains area of western Papua New Guinea near the Indonesian border includingTelefominandStrickland Gorge;theHunstein Range;Mount Giluwe,a major birdwatching area forbirds-of-paradise;the volcanic limestoneKubor Range;the Bismarck Range/Mount Wilhelm/Schrader Range/MountGahavisuka,of which Mount Wilhelm is particularly rich in endemic species; and finally the Crater Mountain and Mount Michael in the Eastern Highlands.

Central Range montane rain forests

Main article:Central Range montane rain forests

Mount Bosavi

The montane rain forests (from 1,000 to 3,000m) can be further categorised into three broad vegetation zones on the mountains, distinguished by elevation. The lower montane forests extend from 1,000 to 1,500 metres elevation. They are dominated by broadleaf evergreen trees, includingCastanopsis acuminatissima,Lithocarpusspp.,elaeocarps,andlaurels.ConiferousAraucariasmay form thick stands. The upper montane forests, which extend from 1,500 to 2,500 metres in elevation, are dominated by moss-coveredNothofagus.Finally, the high mountain forest extends from 2,500 to 3,000 metres in elevation. Conifers (Podocarpus,Dacrycarpus,Dacrydium,Papuacedrus,Araucaria,andLibocedrus) and broadleaf trees of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) form a thin canopy, with a prominent understory.

The montane forests are home to a rich wildlife, a great deal of which is unique to these mountains including many plants, reptiles, and over 100 birds and animals. Of the 90 mammals found on the island, 44 are endemic, a very high proportion. The birds and animals include many Australasian species such astree-kangaroos,bowerbirds,Australasian robins,honeyeaters,and birds of paradise. Four of the endemic mammals are critically endangered: theBulmer's fruit bat,with only tiny communities remaining in the Papua New Guinea end of the island, and three rodents; a largeLeptomys,theeastern shrew mouse,and thelesser small-toothed rat.There are 55 bird species endemic to the mountains from a total of 348 birds found here. There are several endemic butterflies, particularly in theWeyland Mountainsand the Wahgi Valley.

Baliem Valley

Apart from the cultivated valleys, the montane forests are largely intact, although the logging industry is a constant threat as more and more access to the mountains is achieved by road building. 20% of this ecoregion is contained within protected areas, mostly in the Indonesian half of the island, including the largest protected area inSoutheast Asia,the hugeLorentz National Parkin the highlands, a section of which is a montane forest ecosystem.

Central Range sub-alpine grasslands

Main article:Central Range sub-alpine grasslands

Above 3,000 metres elevation, the high mountain forest transitions to remote sub-alpine habitats including alpine meadows, conifer forest, tree-fern (Cyathea) grasslands, bogs, and shrubby heaths ofRhododendron,Vaccinium,Coprosma,Rapanea,andSaurauiaall quite different from the tropical rain forest that covers most of New Guinea.

The alpine habitat above 4,000 metres consists of compact rosette plants and cushion herbs, such asRanunculus,Potentilla,Gentiana,andEpilobium,grasses (PoaandDeschampsia),bryophytes,andlichens.

While there are several endemic plants there are few animals on the higher slopes, with only nine mammals found here: four rodents, two bats, acuscuspossum, anantechinus,and Doria's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus dorianus). Four of these are endemic: the small marsupial black-tailed antechinus (Murexechinus melanurus),western shrew mouse,glacier rat,andalpine woolly rat.There are nearly 100 birds of which 28 are considered endemic or nearly so, including the vulnerablelong-bearded honeyeater(Melionyx princeps), ribbon-tailed astrapia (Astrapia mayeri), andMacgregor's giant honeyeater,which although endangered generally is a cultural icon of theKetengbanpeople of the Star Mountains and therefore protected in some areas.

Almost half of these remote grasslands are protected in national parks and they are in good condition although in recent times more people are accessing the highlands as visitors or through involvement in mining.

Protected areas

There are several protected areas in the highlands. They include:

• Enarotali Nature Reserve
• Jimi (Ruti) Valley National Park
• Lake Kutubu Wildlife Management Area
• Lorentz National Park
• Memberamo Foja Wildlife Reserve
• Mount Wilhelm National Park
• Weyland Mountains (Pegunungan Wayland) Nature Reserve

See also

• List of highest mountains of New Guinea
• Highlands Highway

External links

• "Central Range montane rain forests".Terrestrial Ecoregions.World Wildlife Fund.
• "Central Range sub-alpine grasslands".Terrestrial Ecoregions.World Wildlife Fund.