New Britain is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel. The main towns of New Britain are Rabaul/Kokopo and Kimbe. The island is roughly the size of Taiwan. When the island was part of German New Guinea, its name was Neupommern .
In common with most of the Bismarcks it was largely formed by volcanic processes, and has active volcanoes including Ulawun, Langila, the Garbuna Group, the Sulu Range, and the volcanoes Tavurvur and Vulcan of the Rabaul caldera. A major eruption of Tavurvur in 1994 destroyed the East New Britain provincial capital of Rabaul. Most of the town still lies under metres of ash, and the capital has been moved to nearby Kokopo.
New Britain from space, June 2005. Clearly visible are ash plumes from Langila and Ulawun volcanoes
Ulawun Volcano and Lolobau Island
Native recruits during drill in German New Guinea, 1910
Two photographs of native New British Islanders, 1944
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. Its area is about 50,000 square km.
Satellite view of the islands of New Britain and New Ireland, the two largest in the Bismarck Archipelago
The first wave of US troops lands on Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, 29 February 1944.
Rabaul caldera, New Britain