Manus Island

Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100km2 measuring around 100x. According to the 2000 census, the whole Manus Province had a population of 43,387, rising to 50,321 Census. Lorengau, the capital of Manus Province, is located on the island. Momote Airport, the terminal for Manus Province, is located on nearby Los Negros Island. A bridge connects Los Negros Island to Manus Island and the province capital of Lorengau. In addition to its resident population, asylum seekers have been relocated here from Australia between 2001–2004 and since 2012.Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles which can be broadly described as lowland tropical rain forest. The highest point on Manus Island is Mt. Dremsel above sea level at the centre of the south coast. Manus Island is volcanic in origin and probably broke through the ocean's surface in the late Miocene, 8–10 million years ago. The substrate of the island is either directly volcanic or from uplifted coral limestone.Manus Island is home to the Emerald green snail, whose shells are harvested to be sold as jewellery.HistoryThe first recorded sighting of Manus Island by Europeans was by Spanish explorer Álvaro de Saavedra on board of the carrack Florida on 15 August 1528, when trying to return to New Spain from the Maluku Islands. Saavedra circled Manus Island and landed possibly in the Murai islet in its south west. Murai was found inhabited and some natives came out in canoes attacking with arrows. Three of these men were captured by the Spaniards and were returned by Saavedra to the same island on his second attempt to return to North America the following year. Manus Island was charted as Urays la Grande or Big Urays, which is probably a projection of Murai to signify the big Murai.