Lae, the capital of
Morobe ProvinceMorobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital, and largest city, is Lae. The province covers 34,500 km², including 719 km² maritime area, with a population of 539,725...
, is the second largest city in
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. It is located at the start of the
Highlands HighwayThe Highlands Highway, sometimes known as the Okuk Highway, is the main land highway in Papua New Guinea. It connects several major cities and is vital for the movement of people and goods between the populous Highlands region and the coast....
which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast. Lae is the largest cargo port of the country and the home of the
University of TechnologyThe Papua New Guinea University of Technology or Unitech is based 8 km outside of Lae, in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. It has 13 teaching departments and 3 affiliated colleges....
or 'Unitech'.
The town was born in the gold rush era of the 1920s and 30s. Like numerous Papua New Guinea towns it sprang up around an
airstripLae Airport was an airport located at Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.-History:Built without government permision by Cecil J. Levien, on behalf of Guinea Gold N.L., to assist the gold mine productions around Wau in 1927. The first flight into the airfield was a DH-37 flown bt E. A...
which is now disused as it has been replaced by the new
Lae Nadzab AirportLae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.-Airlines and destinations:* Airlines PNG...
.
Lae, the capital of
Morobe ProvinceMorobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital, and largest city, is Lae. The province covers 34,500 km², including 719 km² maritime area, with a population of 539,725...
, is the second largest city in
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. It is located at the start of the
Highlands HighwayThe Highlands Highway, sometimes known as the Okuk Highway, is the main land highway in Papua New Guinea. It connects several major cities and is vital for the movement of people and goods between the populous Highlands region and the coast....
which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast. Lae is the largest cargo port of the country and the home of the
University of TechnologyThe Papua New Guinea University of Technology or Unitech is based 8 km outside of Lae, in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. It has 13 teaching departments and 3 affiliated colleges....
or 'Unitech'.
History
The town was born in the gold rush era of the 1920s and 30s. Like numerous Papua New Guinea towns it sprang up around an
airstripLae Airport was an airport located at Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.-History:Built without government permision by Cecil J. Levien, on behalf of Guinea Gold N.L., to assist the gold mine productions around Wau in 1927. The first flight into the airfield was a DH-37 flown bt E. A...
which is now disused as it has been replaced by the new
Lae Nadzab AirportLae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.-Airlines and destinations:* Airlines PNG...
. Cargo arrived in Lae and then was transported by air to the goldfields in
WauWau is a town in Papua New Guinea, in the province of Morobe. It has a population of approx 5,000 and situated at an altitude of around 1100m. Wau was the site of a Gold rush during the 1920's and 30's when prospective gold diggers arrived at the coast at Salamaua and struggled inland along the...
.
In July 1937 Lae made world news when American aviator,
Amelia EarhartAmelia Mary Earhart ; was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, was last seen flying out of the airport on her way back to the USA. She was never seen again.
When the volcanic eruptions occurred in
RabaulRabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of feet into the air. It caused...
in 1937 a decision was made to transfer the capital of the Territory of New Guinea to Lae.
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
got in the way of the transfer and in 1942 the town was occupied by the
Empire of JapanThe Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the...
on 8 March 1942. Lae, Rabaul and
SalamauaSalamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland...
became the major Japanese bases in New Guinea.
In mid-1943, after defeats in the Kokoda Trail campaign, the
Battle of Buna-GonaThe Battle of Buna–Gona was a battle in the New Guinea campaign, a major part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On November 16, 1942, Australian and United States forces attacked the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea, at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. By January 22, 1943, after prolonged...
and at the
Battle of WauThe Battle of Wau, 29–31 January 1943, was a battle in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Forces of the Empire of Japan sailed from Rabaul and crossed the Solomon Sea and, despite Allied air attacks, successfully reached Lae, where they disembarked...
, the Japanese were forced to retreat to Lae and Salamaua. However, the
Salamaua-Lae campaignThe Salamaua–Lae campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Australian and United States forces sought to capture two major Japanese bases, one in the town of Lae, and another one at Salamaua. The campaign to take the Salamaua and Lae area began with the Australian...
involved many weeks of fierce fighting, before the town fell to the Allies on September 16.
Lae's development after the war is directly linked to the development of the highlands.
CoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
and
teaTea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods...
were being grown and a port was needed. Later priority was given on road access, and the Highlands Highway came into existence. During the mineral boom of the 1980s and 90s Lae's importance as an economic hub became clearer.
In 1991 Lae and Port Moresby hosted the
South Pacific GamesThe Pacific Games is a multi-sport event, much like the Olympics , with participation exclusively from countries around the South Pacific. It is held every four years and began in 1963, hosted by Suva, Fiji.- Concept :The idea of holding the South Pacific Games originated with Dr A.H...
.
Lae is currently known for its high rainfall and great number of potholes in the roads that earned it the nickname "Pothole City".
External links