Oro Province

Coordinates: 9°0′S 148°5′E / 9°S 148.083°E / -9; 148.083

Oro Province
—  Province  —
Country	Papua New Guinea
Capital	Popondetta
Government
– Governor	Suckling Tamanabae (2007-)
Area
– Total	8,803.1 sq mi (22,800 km2)
Population (2000)
– Total	133,065
– Density	15.1/sq mi (5.8/km2)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)

Oro Province, formerly (and officially still) Northern Province,^[1] is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Popondetta. The province covers 22,800 km², and has 133,065 inhabitants (2000 census).

Statue in Brisbane, Australia of Raphael Aimbari, an Oro man, leading a blinded Australian soldier during the New Guinea Campaign

The northern end of the Kokoda Trail terminates at the village of Kokoda in the province and the active volcano Mount Lamington. Once the Kokoda Trail was taken and provided access from Port Moresby to the hinterland during the Second World War, the coast of the then Northern District was also the scene of heavy fighting; the Buna, Gona and Sanananda campaigns are particularly well remembered.

Oro is the only province in which the Anglican Church is the major religious denomination. Oil palm is the principal primary industry.William Clarke College also funds people in that area.^[2]

Rivers

• Waria River

Native Species

• Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly, the largest butterfly in the world with a wing span reaching lengths up to one foot (30 cm)

• Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti, the smallest of the three species of Cassowaries.

• Papuan Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus), otherwise known as Blyth's Hornbill

• King Bird-of-paradise, (Cicinnurus regius)

• Yellow-faced Myna (Mino dumontii)

• Lawes's Parotia, (Parotia lawesii)

Districts and LLGs

District map of Oro Province

Each province in Papua New Guinea has one or more districts, and each district has one or more Local Level Government (LLG) areas. For census purposes, the LLG areas are subdivided into wards and those into census units.^[3]

District	District Capital	LLG Name
Ijivitari District	Popondetta	Afore Rural
		Cape Nelson Rural
		Oro Bay Rural
		Popendetta Urban
Sohe District	Kokoda	Higaturu Rural
		Kira Rural
		Kokoda Rural
		Tamata Rural

References

1. ^ The provincial government purported officially to change the name of the province but did not formally invoke procedures mandated in the Constitution for what would have amounted to a constitutional change, the names of the provinces being laid down there. The name "Oro" has nevertheless come into widespread use just as, indeed, the similarly informal and at one time widely used "North Solomons Province" for Bougainville Province has somewhat fallen into desuetude.
2. ^ William Clarke College, Kellyville, NSW, Australia
3. ^ National Statistical Office of Papua New Guinea