Intro

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Introduction

Sandaun (pronounced sundown) Province is so named because it’s in the northwest of PNG – where the sun goes down. Formerly called West Sepik Province, it’s largely undeveloped, but agricultural activity around Telefomin and timber development near Vanimo have brought rapid change.Current population according to the 2000 census has a population of 185,741. Gold is mined inland. There are opportunities to surf and enjoy the beaches here but it is a very remote part of PNG.

Sandaun Province is most notable to outsiders because of the devastating tsunami in the region near Aitape in 1998. As in East Sepik Province, cash-crop farmers are making good profits on vanilla beans which are often traded over the border into Indonesian West Papua.

Its towns are: Vanimo, Nuku, Aitape, and Telefomin.