Wewak

Wewak

One of Wewak's beaches
Wewak

Location within Papua New Guinea

Coordinates: 3°33′S 143°38′E / 3.550°S 143.633°E / -3.550; 143.633
Country Papua New Guinea
Province East Sepik Province
District Wewak District
LLG Wewak Urban LLG
Established 1919
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2000)
  Total 25,143
  Rank 6th
Languages
  Main languages English, Tok Pisin, Kairiru, Boikin
  Traditional languages Kairiru
Time zone AEST (UTC+10)
Location 260 km (160 mi) from Wuvulu Island
Mean max temp 30.8 °C (87.4 °F)
Mean min temp 24.2 °C (75.6 °F)
Climate Af

Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak.

History

Between 1943 and 1945, during World War II, Wewak was the site of the largest Japanese airbase in mainland New Guinea. The base was subjected to repeated bombing by Australian and American forces, most notably in one massive attack on 17 August 1943. Directly to the west of the town centre is a peninsula known as Cape Wom, which was the site of the surrender of Japanese forces in New Guinea on 13 September 1945. The site now houses a small memorial. The former Japanese airfield is still in use as the Wewak International Airport.[1] In August 1945 two war crimes trials were held near Wewak for mutilation and cannibalism. First Lieutenant Takehiro Tazaki was convicted and sentenced to death (later commuted to 5 years imprisonment with hard labour) and another accused was acquitted.[2]

Geography

Wewak city centre and coastline from space
Near Wewak

The old centre of the town is situated on a small peninsula, with the rest of the urban area occupying a narrow band of flat land between the ocean and the coastal range of mountains that emerges a short distance inland.

To the east of the town center is a small peninsula on which is located Boram Hospital,[3] and Wewak International Airport, which is also known as Boram.

Wewak is linked by road to three villages on the Sepik River: Angoram, Timbunke, and Pagwi, though the roads are not always in good condition. In addition, a coastal highway extends to the west, linking Wewak with the coastal towns of Aitape and Vanimo, which is the capital of Sandaun province.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical rainforest (Af).[4]

Climate data for Wewak
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30.6
(87.1)
30.4
(86.7)
30.5
(86.9)
30.9
(87.6)
31.4
(88.5)
31
(88)
30.8
(87.4)
31.1
(88)
31.4
(88.5)
31.1
(88)
31
(88)
30.7
(87.3)
30.91
(87.67)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.8
(80.2)
26.7
(80.1)
26.6
(79.9)
26.8
(80.2)
27.1
(80.8)
26.8
(80.2)
26.6
(79.9)
26.6
(79.9)
27
(81)
26.9
(80.4)
26.9
(80.4)
26.8
(80.2)
26.8
(80.27)
Average low °C (°F) 23
(73)
23
(73)
22.8
(73)
22.8
(73)
22.9
(73.2)
22.6
(72.7)
22.4
(72.3)
22.2
(72)
22.6
(72.7)
22.8
(73)
22.9
(73.2)
23
(73)
22.75
(72.84)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 143
(5.63)
144
(5.67)
165
(6.5)
181
(7.13)
208
(8.19)
191
(7.52)
166
(6.54)
161
(6.34)
177
(6.97)
216
(8.5)
207
(8.15)
157
(6.18)
2,116
(83.32)
Average rainy days 17 17 19 20 20 18 18 15 17 19 18 17 215
Mean daily sunshine hours 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 5 5 5.2
Source #1: Climate-Data.org (altitude: 0m)[4]
Source #2: Weather2Travel for rainy days and sunshine[5]
Wewak mean sea temperature[5]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F) 29 °C (84 °F)

References

  1. "East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea". Pacific Wrecks. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  2. Philip Piccigallo: The Japanese on Trial; Austin 1979; ISBN 0-292-78033-8 (Kap. 7 "Australia and Others")
  3. "Twenty Gallons of Avgas For Two Lives". Samaritan Aviation. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Climate: Wewak - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  5. 1 2 "Wewak Climate and Weather Averages, Papua New Guinea". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
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