Kieta

Kieta is a port town located on the eastern coast of the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, near the township of Arawa. After extensive destruction during the 1990 Civil Uprising on Bougainville, Kieta has few inhabitants now, and is known mainly for its transport connections (wharf and airfield).

Kieta
The city of Arawa, and the port of Kieta, from space
Kieta Location within Bougainville Island
Coordinates: 06°12′57″S 155°37′58″E
Country	Papua New Guinea
Province	Bougainville
District	Central Bougainville
LLG	Arawa Rural LLG
Time zone	UTC+10 (AEST)
Location	12 km (7.5 mi) from Arawa
Mean max temp	32 °C (90 °F)
Mean min temp	23 °C (73 °F)
Annual rainfall	3,037 mm (119.6 in)

History

On 17 May 1885, agreements were made between Germany and the United Kingdom over the islands of Bougainville and Buka in the area of the German sphere of interest. On 20 September 1905 a station was built with a post office and customs. Since 1902, there was a Catholic mission station in Kieta.^[1]

Kieta was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War.

The majority of the town was destroyed in the 1990 Civil Uprising on Bougainville.^[2][3] The airfield has a 5,400 feet (1,600 m) runway which was used by the Japanese in World War II, and was recently serviced by Air Niugini until 1990. For some time after that the only aircraft to service the area had been the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Forces (C-130 Hercules) in support of the Peace Monitoring Group. As of 2021, Kieta Airport is serviced by PNG Air with flights to Rabaul and Buka.

A number of Papuan languages are spoken in the Kieta district, such as Naasioi.

Climate

Kieta has a mean maximum temperature of 32 °C (90 °F), mean minimum temperature of 23 °C (73 °F), and annual rainfall of 3,037 mm (119.6 in).

References

1. Bougainville History
2. Pacific Wrecks
3. Melanesian stories: Marist Brothers in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea 1845-2003. Lawrence McCane. 2004. p. 346. ISBN 9980-85-421-9. Retrieved July 10, 2010.