Port Moresby

Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea, situated on the Gulf of Papua along the southwestern coast of the island. British naval officer Captain John Moresby named the harbor in 1873 after his father, Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby. Indigenous Motu and Koitabu villagers established stilt settlements along the coastline long before colonial exploration.

Great Britain declared a protectorate over the southern coast during the 1880s, selecting the sheltered natural harbor for administrative headquarters. Governance of the territory passed to Australia during the early 20th century under the renamed administrative division of Papua. Administrative reforms joined Papua and the northern New Guinea territory into a unified territory during the mid-20th century. The inland district of Waigani expanded during the 1960s to accommodate national administration offices and diplomatic chanceries. Papua New Guinea achieved national independence in 1975, establishing the coastal city as the sovereign capital of the country.

The National Parliament House incorporates traditional Haus Tambaran architectural motifs with a high pitched roof in the Waigani government district. The National Museum and Art Gallery preserves ancestral spirit boards, carved wooden masks, and ethnographic pottery from island provinces. Port Moresby Nature Park protects native rainforest flora and tree kangaroos inside expansive botanical grounds. The coastal stilt village of Hanuabada extends over the tidal flats of the harbor, continuing ancient seafaring traditions. The University of Papua New Guinea opened during the 1960s to educate undergraduate scholars in science and public administration.

The Motukea Port container terminal unloads international maritime container vessels and heavy freight barges navigating the sheltered deep-water anchorages of Fairfax Harbour on the Gulf of Papua. South Pacific Brewery brews golden lager beer and draught ale under the brand SP Lager, and Paradise Foods prepares baked tea biscuits and chocolate bars under the brand Queen Emma. Goodman Fielder PNG operates industrial milling machinery in the city to produce stone-ground baking flour and packaged sliced bread under the popular consumer brand Flame.