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This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007) |
 Bougainville and neighbouring islands |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
  Bougainville Island (Papua New Guinea )
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| Location | Melanesia |
| Coordinates | |
| Archipelago | Solomon Islands |
| Area | 9,318 square kilometres (3,598 sq mi) |
| Highest point | Mount Balbi (2,715 metres (8,910 ft)) |
| Country | |
 Papua New Guinea |
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| Province | Bougainville Province |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 175,160 (as of 2000) |
| Density | 18.80 people/km² |
Bougainville is part of Papua New Guinea. Geographically, Bougainville is included in the chain of islands known as the Solomon Islands in Melanesia. Bougainville, the adjacent island of Buka, and assorted outlying islands including the Carterets are sometimes known as the North Solomons. Bougainville is included in the Solomon Islands rain forests ecoregion. The nation of Solomon Islands is a separate state.
Together they make up the Papua New Guinean (PNG) Bougainville Province. The population of the province is 175,160 (2000 census).
In the 1970s, Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto) began exploiting the island's huge copper reserves. Resentment over the negative effects of the company's activities on the area and the lack of any tangible benefit to the islanders erupted into conflict in the 1990s. Attempts at proclaiming the independence of Bougainville (Republic of North Solomons) have occurred twice: in 1975 and 1990. In the second case the government of Papua New Guinea moved to put down what became a secessionist movement led by Francis Ona, a former surveyor for BCL. The PNG army received military aid from Australia and enlisted the support of Sandline International, a mercenary firm. The island was embargoed to weaken its people's resistance. However, they proved much more resilient than expected, designing their own weapons and converting engines to vegetable oil. Peace talks brokered by New Zealand began in 1997, leading to autonomy for the island.
Bougainville and its 1990s struggle for independence is the setting for the 2007 novel Mister Pip, by New Zealand author Lloyd Jones.
Louis Antoine de Bougainville named the island after himself.
A documentary about the struggle of the indigenous population to save their island from environmental destruction and gain independence, was made in 1999, called Coconut Revolution.[1]
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There are several indigenous languages in Bougainville. These include both Austronesian and Papuan languages.
The most widely spoken Austronesian language is Halia and its dialects, spoken in the island of Buka and the Selau peninsula of Northern Bougainville. Other Austronesian languages include Petats, Solos, Saposa/Taiof, Hahon and Tinputz, all spoken in the northern quarter of Bougainville, Buka and surrounding islands. These languages are closely related. Banoni and Arawa are Austronesian languages not closely related to the former, which are spoken in the coastal areas of central and south Bougainville. In the nearby atolls of Mortlock Islands, an Polynesian language.
The Papuan languages are confined to the main island of Bougainville. These include Rotokas, a language with a very small inventory of phonemes, Eivo, Buin, Keriaka, Nasioi, Motuna, Usiai and several others. They constitute the North Bougainville and South Bougainville language families.
None of the languages is spoken by more than 20% of the population, and the larger languages such as Nasioi, Motuna, Buin, and Halia are split into dialects that are not always mutually understandable. For general communication most Bougainvilleans use Tok Pisin as a lingua franca, and at least in the coastal areas Pisin is often learned by children in a bilingual environment. English and Tok Pisin are the languages of official business and government.