Papua New Guinea's Provinces and People - Simbu Province

Map of Papua New Guinea highlighting Simbu Province

Flag of Simbu Province

Simbu, also known as (and officially named) Chimbu, is a Highlands Region province in Papua New Guinea. The province has an area of 6,100 km² and a population of 259,703 (2000 census). The capital of the province is Kundiawa. Mount Wilhelm, the tallest mountain in Papua New Guinea, is on the border of Simbu.

Geography

Simbu, well known for it's mountains, is a fine place for mountain climbing - Pic by Carlosani

Simbu in the local dialect really means Sipuuuu, which means "thank you". Simbu is located in the central highlands cordillera of Papua New Guinea. It shares geographic and political boundaries with five provinces: Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Southern Highlands, Gulf and Madang. It is a significant source of organically produced coffee.
Simbu is a province with limited natural resources and very rugged mountainous terrain. The economic progress of the province has been slower than some other highlands provinces.

Education

Simbu, although lacking natural resources, is able to contribute more in human resources and can now boast to have some of the country's top brains. Simbus are working in world renowned institutions world wide, from the United States to the United Kingdom. There are three secondary schools in the province: Kondiu Rosary Secondary School, Yauwe Moses Secondary School and Kerowagi Secondary School.

Simbu, at it's best with some of the finest faces. Click here for more pictures - Pic by Carlosani

Politics

The current governor, Fr. John Garia, was elected in the 2007 national election under the new Limited Preferential Voting (LPV) system. The Governor is the head of the provincial government. The provincial bureaucracy is headed by the provincial administrator. The current acting administrator is Joseph Kunda Naur, a former educationist. He is from the Endugla/Naur tribe.

The provincial headquarters is Kundiawa, which is also the location of the province's main airport. Air Niugini makes three flights to Kundiawa each week. There are many guest houses within the proximity of Kundiawa town.

Districts

There are 6 districts in the province and each district is represented by a Member of the National Parliament. The districts are Kerowagi, Kundiawa, Sinasina-Yonggamugl, Chuave, Gumine and Karimui-Nomane.

The Members of Parliament elected at the 2007 election are:

Hon. Joe Mek Teine (Kundiawa)
Hon. Guma Wau (Kerowagi)
Hon. Dewe (Lucas) Dekena (Gumine)
Hon. Posi Menai (Karimui-Nomane)
Hon. Jeffery Nape (Sinasina-Yonggamugl) - Speaker of National Parliament
Hon. Jim Nomane (Chuave)
Hon. Fr. John Garia (Chimbu Provincial) - Governor of Simbu Province

Kerowagi

Kerowagi is located geographically towards the western part of the province and shares common administrative, political, economic and geographic features with Western Highlands Province. It is in the famous Waghi Valley, with Digine-Kubor Range to the south and Drekore Range to the north. It is regarded as one of the fertile valleys where cash crops are grown in abundance.

The rivers, valleys, and the mountains of Simbu are gorgeous and they provide a picturesque for someone who have never been to the tropics as well as a tourist. If you do land in Simbu, you wouldn't want to leave that part of PNG - Pic by Carlosani

The native people speak the Kuman language, which is their original dialect. The original tribes of the Kerowagi district are Siambugla-Waugla, Kombuku, Gena, Bandi, Kumai, Endugla No. 2, Bindeku, Graiku, Siglku, Kamaneku, Paglau and Dagle. There are two secondary schools, Kondiu Rosary and Kerowagi, with many "top up" primary schools acting as feeder schools. Most locals are either self-employed or engaged in small scale economic activity. The district has some of the province's best road networks.

One of the roads was sealed in 2004. Of all the districts in Simbu Province, Kerowagi is said to be developing at a much faster rate then the others. This is basically due to the fertility of the valley and its access to infrastructure, improved and established road networks, and mindset of the people and community.

Most of the locals are coffee growers and work their own smallholder blocks. The coffee season starts from as early as March to end of June and this period is normally referred to as six-mun. The local people are benefiting from recent increases in the world price of coffee. Apart from coffee, they are also engaged in producing spices and other market produce for local consumers. The biggest health clinic in the district is St. Joseph Mingende Rural Hospital. Its status was changed from health centre to rural hospital in 2000, with a full time medical doctor.

More information on other provinces and people of Papua New Guinea, Click here

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