Madang PNG (Papua New Guinea)

Madang is a port town and capital of PNG's Madang Province, located on the northern coast of New Guinea Island (mainland Papua New Guinea). The town has population around 30,000.

• The city was first settled in the 19th century by Germans. However, the Russian biologist Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai (1846–1888) was the first European to visit the region. He stayed for 15 months at Astrolabe Bay (south of present-day Madang City) in 1871-72.
• The German New Guinea Company arrived in 1884 and tried to establish a military base at several locations (including present day Madang), but were repeatedly beaten by malaria and eventually moved to Rabaul.
• Madang was invaded and captured by the Japanese without a fight during The Second World War in 1942. The Australian forces launched their sustained campaign in September 1943, aiming to retake Madang and Finisterre Range. The town was captured on 24 April 1944. During the occupation and fighting it was virtually destroyed and afterwards had to be rebuilt.
• Farming and industry are constantly growing in importance, most of all for export to remote lands. On the coast there are widespread coconut palm plantations. Cardamum is also grown in Madang.
• The Kilili plantation is the 2nd largest of the 12 plantations on Kar Kar Island with its more than 1000 cocoa trees and coconut palms. 50% of the copra and 70% of the cocoa produced in the province of Madang comes from Kar Kar.