View source for Place:New Guinea Highlands

{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = New Guinea Highlands
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| native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| settlement_type         = Natural region
| image_skyline           = Papua New Guinea (5986599443).jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = Landscape in the New Guinea Highlands
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| image_map               = Newguinea topo.png
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| map_caption             = Topographic map of New Guinea. The New Guinea Highlands are the large mountain chain crossing almost the entire island
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| subdivision_type        = Island
| subdivision_name        = New Guinea
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Puncak Jaya
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| area_total_km2          = 142,840
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| highest= Puncak Jaya 
| length_km               = 1,900
| length_orientation = east-west
| width_km                = 165
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| peak                    = Puncak Jaya
| elevation_ft            = 16,024
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The '''New Guinea Highlands''', also known as the '''Central Range''' or '''Central Cordillera''', is a long chain of [[Earth:Mountain range|mountain range]]s on the island of New Guinea, including the island's tallest peak, Puncak Jaya, Indonesia, {{convert|16,024|ft|abbr=on}}, the highest mountain in [[Earth:Oceania|Oceania]]. The range is home to many intermountain river [[Earth:Valley|valley]]s, many of which support thriving agricultural communities. The highlands run generally east-west the length of the island, which is divided politically between Indonesia in the west and Papua New Guinea in the east.

==Geography==
The Central Cordillera, some peaks of which are capped with ice, consists of (from east to west): the Central Highlands and Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea including the Owen Stanley Range in the southeast, whose highest peak is Mount Victoria at 4,038 metres (13,248 feet), the Albert Victor Mountains, the Sir Arthur Gordon Range, and the Bismarck Range,<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=New Guinea |volume=19 |pages=486–490}}</ref> whose highest peak is Mount Wilhelm at 4,509 metres (14,793 feet), which is an extinct volcano with a crater lake; the Star Mountains on the Papua New Guinea–Indonesia border; and the Maoke Mountains or Snow Range in Indonesia, where perpetual snow was found by H. A. Lorentz in 1909 at 4,461&nbsp;m (14,635&nbsp;ft),<ref name=EB1911/> and whose highest peaks are Puncak Jaya (Mt. Carstensz) at 4,884 m (16,024 feet), Puncak Mandala (Mt. Juliana) at 4,760&nbsp;m (15,610&nbsp;ft) and Puncak Trikora (Mt. Wilhelmina) at 4,750&nbsp;m (15,580&nbsp;ft).

[[File:Jally Society cultural House - panoramio.jpg|thumb|A Yali village in Ilugwa, Central Mamberamo, Highland Papua]]
Although some valleys such as the Waghi Valley in the Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea are heavily cultivated and support urban settlements most of the mountains have traditional tribal village communities in the grassy mountain valleys. The PNG highland provinces are Eastern Highlands Province; Simbu Province (or Chimbu) whose centre is the small coffee-growing town of [[Place:Kundiawa|Kundiawa]] on the Wahgi River near Mount Wilhelm; Jiwaka Province; the Western Highlands; the rugged Enga Province the home of the Enga people with its administration in the very small town of [[Place:Wabag|Wabag]] on the Lai River, and containing the large Porgera Gold Mine; Hela Province; Southern Highlands Province, with its centre in the small town and airport of [[Place:Mendi|Mendi]], and containing the Huli wigmen area around the town of [[Place:Tari, Papua New Guinea|Tari]]; and parts of West Sepik Province and Western Province. The Highlands Highway connects many of these towns. Larger urban areas in the PNG Highlands include the Western Highlands capital and PNG's 3rd largest city [[Place:Mount Hagen|Mount Hagen]] (near the extinct Mount Hagen (volcano)), the Eastern Highlands capital and former colonial town of [[Place:Goroka|Goroka]], and the mining town of Tabubil. The climate is humid as you would expect of the tropical rainforested island of New Guinea, but the higher mountain slopes are of course cooler than the lowlands.

The Highlands are the source of several important rivers including the Sepik River and Ramu River in the north and the Fly River in the south, and lakes including Lake Kutubu, near which oil has been extracted since 1992 by [[Company:Chevron Corporation|Chevron]].  Mining is also very active in the region to the detriment of indigenous groups, with frequent friction.

===Topography===
List of highest peaks in New Guinea Highlands by elevation.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Peaks by elevation
!Mountain
!Elevation
|-
|Puncak Jaya
|{{convert|16,024|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Sumantri 
|{{convert|15,980|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Ngga Pulu 
|{{convert|15,951|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Carstensz East 
|{{convert|15,810|ft|abbr=on}}
|-
|Carstensz Timur 
|{{convert|15,758|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Puncak Mandala 
|{{convert|15,620|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Puncak Trikora 
|{{convert|15,580|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Ngga Pilimsit
|{{convert|15,476|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Middenspits
|{{convert|15,426|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Yamin 
|14,900&nbsp;ft (4,541 m)
|-
|Wachter 
|{{convert|14,865|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Gunung Speelman 
|{{convert|14,859|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Wilhelm 
|{{convert|14,793|ft|abbr=on}}
|-
|JP Coen Peak 
|{{convert|14,764|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Valentijn Peak 
|{{convert|14,609|ft|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Earth:Mount Giluwe|Mount Giluwe]] 
|{{convert|14,327|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Kubor 
|{{convert|14,301|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Boising 
|{{convert|13,615|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Bangeta 
|{{convert|13,520|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mt. Kabangama 
|{{convert|13,464|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Victoria 
|{{convert|13,248|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mt. Albert Edward 
|{{convert|13,091|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Capella 
|{{convert|12,992|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Hagen 
|{{convert|12,395|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Suckling
|12,060&nbsp;ft (3,676 m)
|-
|Mount Michael
|{{cvt|11,965|ft|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mount Arfak 
|{{cvt|9,695|ft|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Earth:Mount Bosavi|Mount Bosavi]] 
|{{convert|8,225|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|}

===Rivers===

List of rivers in New Guinea Highlands by length.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Rivers by Length
!River
!Length
|-
|Sepik River
|{{convert|1,146|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Mamberamo River
|{{convert|1,112|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Fly River 
|{{convert|1,060|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Digul River
|{{convert|853|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Strickland River 
|{{convert|824|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Taritatu River 
|{{convert|808|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Purari River
|{{convert|710|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Ramu River
|{{convert|640|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Tariku River
|{{convert|488|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Wawoi River 
|{{convert|482|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Kikori River 
|{{convert|445|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Baliem River 
|{{convert|414|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Pulau River 
|{{convert|403|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Turama River 
|{{convert|302|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Apaoewar River 
|{{cvt|267|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Wahgi River 
|{{convert|243|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Erave River 
|{{convert|224|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Ok Tedi River 
|{{convert|207|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Markham River 
|{{convert|180|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Kumusi River 
|{{convert|167|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Gami River 
|{{convert|160|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Ka River 
|{{cvt|152|km|abbr=on}}
|-
|Aikwa River 
|{{convert|128|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|-
|Kaugel River 
|{{convert|113|km|abbr=on}}
|}

==Geology==
This chain of mountains continues to rise (with corresponding quakes) as the [[Earth:Australian Plate|Australian Plate]] collides with the plates to the northeast, marking the southern boundaries of the [[Earth:Maoke Plate|Maoke]] and [[Earth:Woodlark Plate|Woodlark]] plates. The width of the mountain range varies considerably, with a central thin segment near the borders of the two nations.

The surface geology of the highlands is made up of metamorphic and intrusive igneous rocks. The metamorphic rocks were [[Earth:Cretaceous|Cretaceous]] and [[Earth:Eocene|Eocene]] ocean sediments that were uplifted and folded between the Eocene and early Miocene periods. There are also [[Earth:Pleistocene|Pleistocene]] [[Earth:Stratovolcano|stratovolcano]]es in the highlands, including Mount Hagen and [[Earth:Mount Giluwe|Mount Giluwe]].<ref name = wwf/>

==History==
[[File:GonsalvesPapuas1958.jpg|thumb|Dutch officer in Baliem Valley, 1958]]
The fertile Highlands have long been inhabited and artifacts uncovered in the Ivane Valley indicate that the Highlands were first settled about 50,000 years ago. The inhabitants were nomadic foragers but around 10,000 years ago began developing a fairly advanced agricultural society.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Feil |first=D. K. |date=1986 |title=A Social Anthropologist's View of Papua New Guinea Highlands Prehistory |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/679481 |journal=American Anthropologist |volume=88 |issue=3 |pages=623–636 |issn=0002-7294}}</ref> Before the introduction of the [[Biology:Sweet potato|sweet potato]], the Highlands had distinct forms of [[Social:Division of labour|division of labor]].<ref name=":0" /> In the Eastern Highlands, a [[Philosophy:Mixed economy|mixed economy]] was practiced, with men hunting and cultivating, and women gathering and tending crops.<ref name=":0" /> Populations were small, dispersed, and focused on immediate consumption.<ref name=":0" /> In the Western Highlands, women were focused on producing large amounts of [[Biology:Taro|taro]], while men abandoned hunting and were instead focused on animal husbandry and trading.<ref name=":0" /> The introduction of the sweet potato had a significant impact on animal husbandry in the area. As it could be used as pig fodder without the need for cooking, societies that adopted this new staple food were able to rapidly amass pigs. These pigs were then traded with surrounding societies, becoming the centerpiece of early economies in the area.<ref name=":0" /> 

The Highlands were not settled by the Western powers during the early colonial period and they were first visited by western zoologists and explorers, such as Mick Leahy, who opened the Wahgi Valley and [[Place:Mount Hagen|Mount Hagen]], and Richard Archbold in the 1930s. It was found that the highland valleys explored in the 1930s were inhabited by over a million people.<ref>{{cite web |title=The colonial period |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Papua-New-Guinea/The-colonial-period |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref> During [[Social:World War II|World War II]], the eastern highlands saw the Kokoda Track campaign in which Australian and [[Earth:New Zealand|New Zealand]] soldiers, along with native guides who were pressed into service, fought and ultimately stopped the Japanese from advancing south towards [[Place:Port Moresby|Port Moresby]] and, ultimately, northern Queensland on the Australian mainland.

The culture of [[Social:Endemic warfare|inter-tribal warfare]] and animosity between the neighboring tribes have long been present in the Highlands.<ref>{{cite news |title=Papua New Guinea: Women and children killed in tribal massacre |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48932361 |work=BBC News |date=10 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Papua New Guinea massacre of women and children highlights poor policing, gun influx |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-10/png-tribal-massacre-poor-policing-weapons-influx-fuel-violence/11297136 |work=ABC News |date=11 July 2019}}</ref>

==Ecology==
The New Guinea Highlands are home to a great variety of [[Place:Australasia|Australasia]]n plant and animal communities, distinct from the surrounding lowlands to the north and south of the central ranges and varying up and along the mountain ranges. The habitats of the mountains have been separated into two ecoregions, depending on their elevation, the tropical montane forests and alpine grasslands, but within these broad bands there is a variety of wildlife along the island as some of the mountains stand quite a distance from others with some species of plant or animal existing on only one or two mountains. Particular centres of plant diversity are the Star Mountains area of western Papua New Guinea near the Indonesian border including Telefomin and Strickland Gorge; the Hunstein Range; [[Earth:Mount Giluwe|Mount Giluwe]], a major birdwatching area for birds-of-paradise; the volcanic limestone Kubor Range; the Bismarck Range/Mount Wilhelm/Schrader Range/Mount Gahavisuka, of which Mount Wilhelm is particularly rich in endemic species; and finally the Crater Mountain and Mount Michael in the Eastern Highlands.

===Central Range montane rain forests===

[[File:Mount Bosavi -rim of crater-14Oct2008.jpg|thumb|Mount Bosavi]]
The montane rain forests (from 1,000 to 3,000m) can be further categorised into three broad vegetation zones on the mountains, distinguished by elevation. The lower montane forests extend from 1,000 to 1,500 metres elevation. They are dominated by broadleaf evergreen trees, including ''[[Biology:Castanopsis acuminatissima|Castanopsis acuminatissima]],'' ''[[Biology:Lithocarpus|Lithocarpus]]'' spp., [[Biology:Elaeocarpaceae|elaeocarps]], and [[Biology:Lauraceae|laurels]]. Coniferous [[Biology:Araucaria|Araucaria]]s may form thick stands. The upper montane forests, which extend from 1,500 to 2,500 metres in elevation, are dominated by moss-covered ''[[Biology:Nothofagus|Nothofagus]]''. Finally, the high mountain forest extends from 2,500 to 3,000 metres in elevation. Conifers (''[[Biology:Podocarpus|Podocarpus]], [[Biology:Dacrycarpus|Dacrycarpus]], [[Biology:Dacrydium|Dacrydium]], [[Biology:Papuacedrus|Papuacedrus]], [[Biology:Araucaria|Araucaria]],'' and ''[[Biology:Libocedrus|Libocedrus]]'') and broadleaf trees of the myrtle family ([[Biology:Myrtaceae|Myrtaceae]]) form a thin canopy, with a prominent understory.<ref name = wwf>{{WWF ecoregion|id=aa0105|name=Central Range Montane rain forests}}</ref>

The montane forests are home to a rich wildlife, a great deal of which is unique to these mountains including many plants, reptiles, and over 100 birds and animals. Of the 90 mammals found on the island, 44 are endemic, a very high proportion. The birds and animals include many Australasian species such as [[Biology:Tree-kangaroo|tree-kangaroo]]s, [[Biology:Bowerbird|bowerbird]]s, [[Biology:Petroicidae|Australasian robins]], [[Biology:Honeyeater|honeyeater]]s, and birds of paradise. Four of the endemic mammals are critically endangered: the [[Biology:Bulmer's fruit bat|Bulmer's fruit bat]], with only tiny communities remaining in the Papua New Guinea end of the island, and three rodents; a large ''[[Biology:Leptomys|Leptomys]]'', the [[Biology:Eastern shrew mouse|eastern shrew mouse]], and the [[Biology:Lesser small-toothed rat|lesser small-toothed rat]]. There are 55 bird species endemic to the mountains from a total of 348 birds found here. There are several endemic butterflies, particularly in the Weyland Mountains and the Wahgi Valley.<ref name = wwf/>

[[File:20170903 Papouasie Baliem valley 12.jpg|thumb|Baliem Valley]]
Apart from the cultivated valleys, the montane forests are largely intact, although the logging industry is a constant threat as more and more access to the mountains is achieved by road building. 20% of this ecoregion is contained within protected areas, mostly in the Indonesian half of the island, including the largest protected area in Southeast Asia, the huge Lorentz National Park in the highlands, a section of which is a montane forest ecosystem.<ref name = wwf/>

===Central Range sub-alpine grasslands===
Above 3,000 metres elevation, the high mountain forest transitions to remote sub-alpine habitats including alpine meadows, conifer forest, tree-fern (''[[Biology:Cyathea|Cyathea]]'') grasslands, bogs, and shrubby heaths of ''[[Biology:Rhododendron|Rhododendron]], [[Biology:Vaccinium|Vaccinium]], [[Biology:Coprosma|Coprosma]], [[Biology:Rapanea|Rapanea]]'', and ''[[Biology:Saurauia|Saurauia]]'' all quite different from the tropical rain forest that covers most of New Guinea.

The alpine habitat above 4,000 metres consists of compact rosette plants and cushion herbs, such as ''[[Biology:Ranunculus|Ranunculus]], [[Biology:Potentilla|Potentilla]], [[Biology:Gentiana|Gentiana]]'', and ''[[Biology:Epilobium|Epilobium]]'', grasses (''[[Biology:Poa|Poa]]'' and ''[[Biology:Deschampsia|Deschampsia]]''), [[Biology:Bryophyte|bryophyte]]s, and [[Biology:Lichen|lichen]]s.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=aa1002|name=Central Range sub-alpine grasslands|access-date=May 25, 2008}}</ref>

While there are several endemic plants there are few animals on the higher slopes, with only nine mammals found here: four rodents, two bats, a [[Biology:Cuscus|cuscus]] possum, an [[Biology:Dasyuridae|antechinus]], and Doria's tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus dorianus''). Four of these are endemic: the small marsupial black-tailed antechinus (''Murexechinus melanurus''), [[Biology:Western shrew mouse|western shrew mouse]], [[Biology:Glacier rat|glacier rat]], and [[Biology:Alpine woolly rat|alpine woolly rat]]. There are nearly 100 birds of which 28 are considered endemic or nearly so, including the vulnerable [[Biology:Long-bearded honeyeater|long-bearded honeyeater]] (''Melionyx princeps''), ribbon-tailed astrapia (''Astrapia mayeri''), and Macgregor's giant honeyeater, which although endangered generally is a cultural icon of the Ketengban people of the Star Mountains and therefore protected in some areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkive.org/macgregors-bird-of-paradise/macgregoria-pulchra/info.html |title= MacGregor's bird-of-paradise - Macgregoria pulchra - Information - ARKive|website=www.arkive.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403175539/http://www.arkive.org/macgregors-bird-of-paradise/macgregoria-pulchra/info.html |archive-date=April 3, 2009}}</ref>

Almost half of these remote grasslands are protected in national parks and they are in good condition although in recent times more people are accessing the highlands as visitors or through involvement in mining.

==Natural Parks==

List of Natural Parks in New Guinea Highlands.

*Lorentz National Park
*Mount Wilhelm National Park

==See also==
* List of highest mountains of New Guinea
* Highlands Highway

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{WWF ecoregion|name=Central Range montane rain forests|id=aa0105}}
* {{WWF ecoregion|name=Central Range sub-alpine grasslands|id=aa1002}}

{{coord missing|Papua New Guinea}}

[[Category:Highlands]]

{{Sourceattribution|New Guinea Highlands|1}}