The New Guinea Islands Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), comprising the Bismarck Archipelago and north-western Solomon Islands Archipelago, located north-east of New Guinea island (the mainland).
This is the least populous inhabited region of the country with an estimated population of 1,761,841 (approximately 15% of PNG) in 2021.
It is distinct through its prehistory and history, as shown by the prevalence of Austronesian languages, and archeological findings of Lapita pottery culture.
Subdivision
The Region is administratively divided into five provinces:
Bougainville (North Solomons)
East New Britain
Manus
New Ireland
West New Britain