map of the Bismarck Archipelago - Western Islands (around Ninigo)
Location map, Ninigo Islands at top left

The Ninigo Islands are a group of 31[1] islands within the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Their coordinates are 1°16′S 144°15′E / 1.267°S 144.250°E / -1.267; 144.250.[1]

History

The first settlers on the Ninigo Islands were the Melanesians. Other groups later settled in the island group, including the Polynesians and Germans. These islands belong to Micronesian outliers.

The first sighting by Europeans of Ninigo islands was by the Spanish navigator Iñigo Órtiz de Retes on 27 July 1545 when on board of the carrack San Juan tried to return from Tidore to New Spain. He charted them as La Barbada (the bearded island in Spanish).[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 The Wuvulu Web Site - Geographical Names in the Western Islands
  2. ↑ Coello, Francisco "Conflicto hispano-alemán" Boletín de Sociedad Geográfica de Madrid, t.XIX. 2º semestre 1885, Madrid, p.317.
  3. ↑ Sharp, Andrew The discovery of the Pacific Islands Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1960, p.31.


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