- Madang
:"for the town in Burma see
Madang, Burma "Infobox PNG Place
type = city
name = Madang
othername =
province = mad
llg =
dot_x = 75
dot_y = 61
caption = Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse, Kalibobo, Madang
pop = 27,420
popdate = 2005
poprank = 5th
est = 1884
postcode =
elevation =
coor = coord|5|13|S|145|48|E|region:PG_type:city|display=inline,title
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =Madang "(old German name: Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen)" is the capital of
Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 (in 2005) on the north coast ofPapua New Guinea . It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century.Madang is the home of
Divine Word University . The University accepts local and international students. The University offers on-site accommodation for undergraduates and postgraduates.History
Russia nbiologist Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai was probably the first European to visit the area. In1871 he stayed atAstrolabe Bay just south of present day Madang for 15 months. He had a good relationship with the local communities before leaving suffering frommalaria .In
1884 theGerman New Guinea Company arrived and tried to establish a base at various locations including at present day Madang but were continually beaten by malaria. They eventually moved toRabaul .The
Japan ese invaded and captured Madang without a fight duringWorld War II in1942 . In September 1943,Australia n forces launched a sustained campaign to retake theFinisterre Range and Madang. The town was captured on April 24,1944 . During the occupation and fighting the town was virtually destroyed and had to be rebuilt afterwards.NGO Presence in Madang
Madang is viewed by many in the country as being relatively more safe and pleasant for
expatriate s than the larger cities ofLae andPort Moresby . Because of this, someNGO s have chosen Madang as the location of their main offices in country.CUSO (a Canadian NGO) and VSO (a British NGO) both have their headquarters in Madang.Save the Children , WWF, andWorld Vision are also present with branch offices in Madang.As a consequence Madang has a relatively large number of
expatriate s working and living in the town than its small population would suggest.Transport
See:
Madang Airport Images
ee also
*
Bilibil
*List of towns in Papua New Guinea External links
* [http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/png/about_destin/madang.html Information to travel in Madang]
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