Western
provincesrivervastborder
The flag of Western Province represents the largest province by area in Papua New Guinea. Despite its enormous size, it is one of the least populated provinces. Western Province borders Indonesia to the west and extends from the central highlands down to the Torres Strait near Australia. The massive Fly River system dominates the province, and the Ok Tedi copper and gold mine has been both an economic lifeline and an environmental controversy. Daru is the provincial capital.
The Ok Tedi mine in Western Province has discharged approximately 80 million tonnes of mine tailings into the Fly River system, causing one of the worst environmental disasters in the Pacific.
Adopted: 1975
