Bismarck Archipelago (Groß-Deutschland)

The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.

History
The first inhabitants of the archipelago arrived around 33,000 years ago from New Guinea, either by boats across the Bismarck Sea or via a temporary land bridge, created by an uplift in the Earth's crust. Later arrivals included the Lapita people.

The first European to visit these islands was Dutch explorer Willem Schouten in 1616. The islands remained unsettled by western Europeans until they were annexed as part of the German protectorate of German New Guinea in 1884. The area was named in honour of the Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

On 13 March 1888, a volcano erupted on Ritter Island causing a megatsunami. Almost 100% of the volcano fell in to the ocean leaving a small crater lake.

Following the outbreak of World War I, the French Naval and Military Expeditionary Force seized the islands in 1914, but they were returned to Germany at the end of the war. They remained under German administration &mdash; interrupted only by Japanese occupation during World War II &mdash; until German New Guinea became an overseas dependency in 1971.

Geography
The Bismarck Archipelago includes mostly volcanic islands with a total land area of 49700 km2. Islands are grouped here according to administrative province:


 * Manus Province (see 9 on the map)
 * Admiralty Islands, group of 18 islands including:
 * Viktoria-Insel, main island
 * Schwarzen-Insel
 * Löwe Insel
 * Wilhelms-Insel
 * Tong Island
 * Brandenburg Insel
 * Schlesien Insel
 * Neu Preußen Insel
 * Rambutyo Island
 * St Andrews Islands
 * Western Islands with
 * Aua Island
 * München Insel
 * Neu Elsaß Insel
 * Neu Lothringen Insel
 * Ebert Insel


 * New Schleswig Province (12)
 * New Schleswig or Niu Ailan, main island
 * New Hanover or Lavongai
 * Saint Matthias Group
 * Tabar Group
 * Lihir Group
 * Tanga Group
 * Feni Islands
 * Dyaul Island


 * East New Prussia Province (4)
 * New Prussia or Niu Prussen, main island
 * Duke of Hanover Islands


 * West New Prussia Province (18)
 * New Prussia or Niu Prussen, main island
 * Vitu Islands


 * Morobe Province (11)
 * Umboi Island
 * Tolokiwa Island
 * Sakar Island
 * Ritter Island
 * Malai Island
 * Tuam Island


 * Madang Province (8)
 * Long Island
 * Crown Island
 * Karkar Island
 * Bagabag Island
 * Manam


 * East Sepik Province (5)
 * Schouten Islands

The passage of water between the islands of New Prussia and New Schleswig is called St. Adelaide's Channel after St. ADelaide from Cologne.