Vanimo
| Vanimo | |||
 Vanimo aerial view |
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| State : |
 Papua New Guinea
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| Province : |
 Sandaun
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| Coordinates : | 2 ° 40 ′ S , 141 ° 17 ′ E | ||
| Residents : | 9,809 (2000) | ||
| Time zone : | AEST (UTC + 10) | ||
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Vanimo is the capital of Sandaun Province in Papua New Guinea , just before the border with Indonesian Western New Guinea . Vanimo is also a subgroup of Sko languages spoken in the Vanimo-Green River District .
geography
Vanimo is located on a peninsula and has a natural harbor.
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History and culture
In 1967 Vanimo became the capital of what would later become the Sandaun Province, then West Sepik. The earliest traces of settlement can be found west of Vanimo. They date back well over ten thousand years. Vanimo had had economic contact with the Moluccas and Seram since at least 250 . The port of Vanimo was used as a landing stage for trade expeditions by the Indonesian princes and sultans. They sent expeditions far into the hinterland to get the coveted bird of paradise feathers. Such hunting and trading expeditions continued into the early 20th century .
In 1827 the Frenchman Dumont d'Urville tried to go ashore in Vanimo, but was attacked by twenty canoes. In 1885 Otto Finsch , the namesake of Finschhafen , went ashore here. At that time, Eisen in Sandaun was already known, which points to further trade contacts with the outside world. In 1900 the Germans established a trading post at the port of Vanimo, which at that time was called the port of attack (today Vanimo Harbor ) after the episode with Dumont d'Urville . In previous years they had recruited plantation workers in the area and undertook various expeditions nearby. The bay later became part of the German colony of New Guinea . Nothing is known about the use of the bay as a port or the surrounding land for plantations at this time. After the First World War , the Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land and with it the place fell to Australia as a trust territory .
From 1927 to 1936 the Australian colonial administration maintained a small police station in Vanimo. In 1936 the Catholic mission station was also founded. During the Second World War , the city became an essential landing point for the Japanese army , whereupon the Australian and Catholic organizations withdrew. Only after the war, when the Christian missionaries returned, did Christianity gain a foothold. She has had an Indonesian consulate since 1992 .
Religions
About a third of Vanimo's residents are members of the Roman Catholic Church .
Population development
Since the beginning of logging in the hinterland, Vanimo has grown to many times its original size. In various places, semi-legal settlements of immigrants from other parts of the province and the country have formed, known in Papua New Guinea as "Settlement", in contrast to the original villages.
Nature and sights
The coast between Vanimo and the Indonesian border is filled with numerous fantastic beaches, lagoons and picturesque villages. The city itself has beautiful white sandy beaches.
Sports
There is a good surfing beach at Lido, a small village outside Vanimo. There is practically no indigenous surfing culture, even if cautious attempts are made sporadically to establish the sport in the country.
Economy and Infrastructure
economy
Since tourism is still in its infancy, the most important industry is the timber industry. It is ruled by a Malaysian company that is clearing large areas in the Vanimo hinterland.
traffic
Vanimo cannot be reached by land from the rest of Papua New Guinea. However, it has a small airport that is served by other centers ( Lae , Madang , Port Moresby ). It is approached by Lutheran Shipping by sea. Outboard motor boats, so-called dinghys, connect to the Indonesian city of Jayapura and other coastal settlements. A road connection to the Indonesian border has also existed for several years.
Public facilities
As the capital of the province of Sandaun, the city has various administrative facilities and, because of its proximity to Indonesia, also an Indonesian consulate. It is still the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of the Vanimo diocese ( Latin Dioecesis Uanimitana ).
literature
- Keyword: port of attack . In: Heinrich Schnee (Ed.): German Colonial Lexicon. Quelle & Meyer, Leipzig 1920, Volume I, p. 53 ( online ).