Bagabag (Papua New Guinea)
Bagabag is an island in the Madang Province of Papua New Guinea having a dormant volcano.[1]
Bagabag is 43 km east-north-east from Cape Croilles on the northern coast of the Papua New Guinea mainland, and is the closest island to Karkar Island which is 18 km to the north-west. The island is approximately circular in shape, with a diameter of about 7 km. It has an area of 37 km². The prominent feature of the coast is Christmas Bay, which cuts into the south-eastern side of the island. Volcanic in origin, terrain on Bagabaga consists of steep, thickly vegetated slopes that rise to over 600 m above sea level. Much of the northern, eastern and southern coasts are fringed by a barrier-type reef some 2 km offshore; the reef is narrow, and mostly submerged.
People from Karkar visit Bagabag by canoe. The island is rich in betel-nut, local pigs and garden food. The island supports four villages with a total population of about 3,000.
The first recorded sighting by Europeans of Karkar Island was by the Spanish navigator
4°47′53″S 146°13′59″E / 4.798°S 146.233°E
References
- ^ "Bagabag". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ Coello, Francisco "Conflicto hispano-alemán" Boletín de Sociedad Geográfica de Madrid, t.XIX. 2º semestre 1885, Madrid, p.317.