Rabaul
market in Rabaul
Rabaul
, major town and port of the Bismarck Archipelago, in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Rabaul is located on the island of New Britain, northeast of New Guinea, in Papua New Guinea. The city is situated on Simpson Harbor, a sheltered inlet of Blanche Bay, on the Gazelle Peninsula in the extreme north of New Britain, in an area made fertile by active volcanoes.
carrying sacks, "belims", for sale
Before World War II (1939-1945) Rabaul was the largest European town in the New Guinea region, and the surrounding area has numerous European plantations. Rabaul was the capital of what was then the Australian-administered mandate of New Guinea, but in 1941 the capital was shifted to Lae, on the New Guinea mainland, because of the threat of volcanic destruction. Rabaul was almost destroyed by the eruption of two of the adjacent volcanoes, Matupi and Vulcan, in May 1937.
root vegetables brought to market in palm leaf woven baskets
After their attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army quickly occupied Rabaul, making it a major naval and air base. Even though the Allies constantly bombarded Rabaul and made landings elsewhere on New Britain, the town was not reoccupied until after the war. Rabaul and the rest of the New Guinea mandate were then restored to Australia as a trust territory of the United Nations. Rabaul again became a busy commercial center, in spite of official uncertainty over whether to rebuild the city. Population (1990) 17,022.
woman with a belim on her back
green goods for sale
more root starch
baskets
more belims
native dress
no Ms. Tourist, "It would not look good at home"
first landing on the Archipelago
dwelling
Christian cemetery
detail of names
another marker
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