East Sepik Province

East Sepik Province

*Is Sepik Provins* (Tok Pisin)
East Sepik Province Is Sepik Provins (Tok Pisin)
	Near Wewak
	Flag
	East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea
	Coordinates: 4°20′S 143°15′E / 4.333°S 143.250°E
Country	Papua New Guinea
Capital	Wewak
Districts	List Ambunti-Dreikikir District; Angoram District; Maprik District; Wewak District; Wosera-Gawi District; Yangoru-Saussia District;
Government
• Governor	Allan Bird
Area
• Total	43,426 km2 (16,767 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Total	450,530
• Density	10/km2 (27/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+10 (AEST)
HDI (2018)	0.538; low · 16th of 22

East Sepik is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Wewak. East Sepik has an estimated population of 433,481 people (2010 census) and is 43,426 km square in size.

History

Cherubim Dambui was appointed as East Sepik's first premier by Prime Minister Michael Somare upon the creation of the provincial government in 1976.^[2] Dambui remained interim premier until 1979, when he became East Sepik's permanent premier with a full term.^[2] He remained in office until 1983.^[2]

Geography

Wewak, the provincial capital, is located on the coast of East Sepik. There are a scattering of islands off shore, and coastal ranges dominate the landscape just inland of the coast. The remainder of the province's geography is dominated by the Sepik River, which is one of the largest rivers in the world in terms of water flow and is known for flooding^[3]—the river's level can alter by as much as five metres in the course of the year as it rises and falls. The southern areas of the province are taken up by the Hunstein Range and other mountain ranges which form the central cordillera and feed the Sepik River.

Districts and LLGs

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.^[4]^[5]^[6]

District	District Capital	LLG Name
Ambunti-Dreikikier District	Ambunti	Ambunti Rural
		Tunap-Hunstein Range Rural
		Gawanga Rural
		Dreikikier Rural
Angoram District	Angoram	Angoram-Middle Sepik Rural
		Keram Rural
		Karawari Rural
		Marienberg
		Yuat Rural
Maprik District	Maprik	Albiges-Mablep Rural
		Bumbita-Muhian Rural
		Maprik-Wora Rural
		Yamil-Tamaui Rural
Wewak District	Wewak	Boikin- LLG Rural
		Turubu Rural
		Wewak Islands Rural
		Wewak Local
		Wewak Urban
Wosera-Gawi District	Wosera	Burui-Kunai Rural
		Gawi Rural
		North Wosera Rural
		South Wosera Rural
Yangoru-Saussia District	Yangoru	East Yangoru Rural
		Numbor Rural
		Sausso Rural
		West Yangoru Rural

Provincial leaders

The province was governed by a decentralised provincial administration, headed by a Premier, from 1976 to 1995. Following reforms taking effect that year, the national government reassumed some powers, and the role of Premier was replaced by a position of Governor, to be held by the winner of the province-wide seat in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea.^[7]^[8]

Premiers (1976–1995)

Premier	Term
Cherubim Dambui	1976–1983
Jonathan Sengi	1983–1987
Bruce Samban	1987–1991
Provincial government suspended	1991–1993
Alex Anisi	1993–1995

Governors (1995–present)

Governor	Term
Michael Somare	1995–1999
Arthur Somare	1999–2003
Henry Ariro	2003–2005
Peter Waranaka	2005–2012
Michael Somare	2012-2017
Allan Bird	2017–2022
Allan Bird	2022-present

Members of the National Parliament

The province and each district is represented by a Member of the National Parliament. There is one provincial electorate and each district is an open electorate.

Electorate	Member
East Sepik Provincial	Allan Bird
Ambunti-Dreikikir Open	Johnson Wapunai
Angoram Open	Salio Waipo
Maprik Open	Gabriel Kapris
Wewak Open	Stanley Muts Samban
Wosera-Gaui Open	Joseph Yopyyopy
Yangoru-Saussia Open	Richard Maru

References

^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Hundreds mourn for Dambui". The National (Papua New Guinea). 2010-06-26. Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
^ "Sepik River". Rainbow Habitat. Archived from the original on 2007-05-31.
^ National Statistical Office of Papua New Guinea
^ "Final Figures". www.nso.gov.pg. 2011 National Population and Housing Census: Ward Population Profile. Port Moresby: National Statistical Office, Papua New Guinea. 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
^ "Census Figures by Wards - Momase Region". www.nso.gov.pg. 2011 National Population and Housing Census: Ward Population Profile. Port Moresby: National Statistical Office, Papua New Guinea. 2014. Archived from the original on 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
^ May, R. J. "8. Decentralisation: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back". State and society in Papua New Guinea: the first twenty-five years. Australian National University. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
^ "Provinces". rulers.org. Retrieved 31 March 2017.

Bibliography

Hanson, L.W., Allen, B.J., Bourke, R.M. and McCarthy, T.J. (2001). Papua New Guinea Rural Development Handbook. Land Management Group, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra. Available as a 30 Megabyte PDF.

External links

Anthony Forge Films and Recordings From the Anthony Forge Papers. MSS 411. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Stephen Leavitt Fieldnotes and Recordings. MSS 27. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.