East New Britain Province
Volcanic province where 1994 Rabaul eruption forced relocation to Kokopo while Tolai shell money traditions persist alongside cocoa exports and diving tourism.
East New Britain Province centers on Rabaul—the volcano-shadowed harbor that was PNG's finest port until eruptions in 1994 forced evacuation and relocation to Kokopo. The dramatic volcanic setting attracts visitors seeking landscapes that combine natural beauty with historical significance from both pre-colonial and wartime eras.
The Tolai people who inhabit East New Britain developed distinctive cultural practices, including shell money (tabu) that still functions in traditional exchange. Their sophisticated pre-colonial social organization enabled adaptation to colonial and post-colonial realities in ways that maintained cultural continuity while engaging market economies.
Cocoa production provides agricultural export revenue. The Duke of York Islands between New Britain and New Ireland add to the province's geographic complexity. Diving tourism develops around reefs and World War II wrecks that rest in waters where fierce fighting occurred.
Rabaul's volcanic destruction demonstrated natural hazards that Pacific Ring of Fire communities face. The town that Japanese forces used as major base, that eruptions twice destroyed (1937 and 1994), now attracts visitors precisely because of the dramatic geology that makes habitation precarious. By 2026, expect tourism to develop modestly around volcanic and historical attractions, cocoa prices to affect agricultural prosperity, and Kokopo to continue functioning as the administrative center that Rabaul's destruction created.