Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from the island of New Guinea in the west to Tonga in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. Its area is about 50,000 square km.
The Papuan languages are the non-Austronesian and non-Australian languages spoken on the western Pacific island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands, by around 4 million people. It is a strictly geographical grouping, and does not imply a genetic relationship. The concept of Papuan peoples as distinct from Austronesian-speaking Melanesians was first suggested and named by Sidney Herbert Ray in 1892.
The Sko or Skou languages are a small language family spoken by about 7000 people, mainly along the Vanimo coast of Sandaun Province in Papua New Guinea, with a few being inland from this area and at least one just across the border in the Indonesian province of Papua.
Sandaun Province is the northwesternmost province of Papua New Guinea. It covers an area of 35,920 km2 and has a population of 248,411. The capital is Vanimo. In July 1998 the area surrounding the town Aitape was hit by an enormous tsunami caused by a Magnitude 7.0 earthquake which killed over 2,000 people. The five villages along the west coast of Vanimo towards the International Border are namely; Lido, Waromo, Yako, Musu and Wutung.
Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the highway between these two capitals. Aitape has 240 V power, telephone, a bank, a post-office, a courthouse and a police station, a supermarket and many tradestores, a petrol station, two airstrips, two secondary schools, a mission office and a hospital.
The Yuat languages are an independent family of five Papuan languages spoken along the Yuat River in East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. They are an independent family in the classification of Malcolm Ross, but are included in Stephen Wurm's Sepik–Ramu proposal. However, Foley and Ross could find no lexical or morphological evidence that they are related to the Sepik or Ramu languages.
Bauni is a language spoken in Barupu (Warapu) village of West Aitape Rural LLG, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea.
Sissano is an Austronesian language spoken by at most a few hundred people around Sissano in West Aitape Rural LLG, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea. 4,800 speakers were reported in 1990, but the 1998 tsunami wiped out most of the population.
The 1998 Papua New Guinea earthquake occurred on July 17 with a moment magnitude of 7.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The event occurred on a reverse fault near the north coast region of Papua New Guinea, 25 kilometers (16 mi) from the coast near Aitape, and caused a large undersea landslide which caused a tsunami that hit the coast, killing between at least 2,183 and 2,700 people and injuring thousands.
Vanessa Diandra Sally Ann Kiristiana Quai, better known as Vanessa Quai, born July 13, 1988 in Port Vila, is a ni-Vanuatu singer.
The Sepik Hill languages form the largest and most ramified branch of the Sepik languages of northern Papua New Guinea. They are spoken along the southern margin of the Sepik floodplain in the foothills of Central Range of south-central East Sepik Province.
The 2000 New Ireland earthquakes occurred off the coast of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea on November 16 and 17.
Yakamul, also known as Kap or Ali, is an Austronesian language spoken in East Aitape Rural LLG, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea. It is spoken in the village of Yakamul on the north coast and on the islands of Ali, Angel, and Seleo islands.
Tumleo is an Austronesian language of coastal Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea, on Tumleo Island and the Aitape coast in East Aitape Rural LLG.
Arop-Sissano, or Arop, is an Austronesian language of Arop village in West Aitape Rural LLG, coastal Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea.
The Piore River or Lagoon languages form a branch of Skou languages. Historically most have been lumped together as a single Warapu language, with Nouri variously classified. They are spoken in the Sissano Lagoon area of West Aitape Rural LLG, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea. The Piore River runs to the west of all the languages, and so speakers do not find it an acceptable name. However, it is not clear which name would be better, as the name of the lagoon, 'Sissano', is used for different neighboring languages.
West Aitape Rural LLG is a local-level government (LLG) of Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea. The Piore River languages and Oceanic languages such as Sissano are spoken in the LLG.
Bouni (Sumo) is a Skou language of Papua New Guinea. It is spoken in Sumo village of West Aitape Rural LLG, Sandaun Province, located near the border with Indonesia.
Uni (Ramo) is a Skou language of Papua New Guinea. It is spoken in Ramo village of West Aitape Rural LLG, Sandaun Province, located near the border with Indonesia.
