Central Province
Capital hinterland supplying Port Moresby with food and labor while Kokoda Track heritage tourism honors the 1942 campaign that stopped Japanese advance.
Central Province surrounds Port Moresby without containing it—the hinterland that supplies the capital with food, labor, and overflow population that the National Capital District cannot accommodate. The Kokoda Track that traverses the province carries historical weight from the 1942 campaign where Australian forces stopped Japanese advance toward Port Moresby.
The province functions as capital periphery rather than independent economic zone. Farmers grow vegetables for Port Moresby markets; workers commute to capital employment; and land values rise as urban development pressure extends beyond the National Capital District boundaries. This creates development tied to capital fortunes rather than provincial resources.
The Kokoda Track attracts trekking tourists who follow the wartime route—a multi-day hiking experience that honors Australian and PNG soldiers who fought in conditions that mountain rainforest made nearly unbearable. This heritage tourism generates employment for porters, guides, and villages along the route.
By 2026, expect Central Province to continue functioning as Port Moresby's agricultural and residential periphery, Kokoda trekking to maintain tourism significance, and development patterns to reflect capital expansion rather than independent provincial economic activity.