Kerema
title: "Kerema" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-gulf-province", "populated-coastal-places-in-papua-new-guinea", "provincial-capitals-in-papua-new-guinea", "gulf-of-papua"] topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-gulf-province" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerema" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Kerema |
| image_skyline | Kerema.png |
| image_caption | Satellite image |
| pushpin_map | Papua New Guinea |
| coordinates | |
| pushpin_label_position | right |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location within Gulf Province |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Papua New Guinea |
| subdivision_type1 | Province |
| subdivision_name1 | Gulf Province |
| subdivision_type2 | District |
| subdivision_name2 | Kerema District |
| subdivision_type3 | LLG |
| subdivision_name3 | Kerema Urban LLG |
| population_total | 6551 |
| population_as_of | 2013 |
| population_rank | 25th |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| demographics_type1 | Languages |
| demographics1_title1 | Main languages |
| demographics1_info1 | Kakiae, Opao, Keuru, Tairuma, Toaripi |
| elevation_m | 6 |
| postal_code_type | Postcode |
| postal_code | 311 |
| timezone1 | AEST |
| utc_offset1 | +10 |
| blank_name | Location |
| blank_info | 229 km NW of Port Moresby |
| blank1_name | Climate |
| blank1_info | Af |
| :: |
| name = Kerema | other_name = | image_skyline = Kerema.png | image_alt = | image_caption = Satellite image | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Papua New Guinea | pushpin_relief = | coordinates = | pushpin_label_position = right | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = Location within Gulf Province | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Papua New Guinea | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Gulf Province | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Kerema District | subdivision_type3 = LLG | subdivision_name3 = Kerema Urban LLG | area_total_km2 = | area_footnotes = | population_total = 6551 | population_as_of = 2013 | population_rank = 25th | population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = auto | demographics_type1 = Languages | demographics1_title1 = Main languages | demographics1_info1 = Kakiae, Opao, Keuru, Tairuma, Toaripi | established_title = | established_date = | leader_title = | leader_name = | elevation_m = 6 | postal_code_type = Postcode | postal_code = 311 | timezone1 = AEST | utc_offset1 = +10 | website = | blank_name = Location | blank_info = 229 km NW of Port Moresby | blank1_name = Climate | blank1_info = Af Kerema is the capital of Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea. It is located on the coast of Gulf of Papua. The Gulf region is aptly named for its concave coastline with large deltas. The Gulf area is a riparian region where many rivers from the southern slopes of the highlands drain into.
Culture and tradition
There are more than twenty languages spoken in Gulf Province. Languages spoken in the Kerema area include Toaripi, Kakiae, Opae, Moivo Hivi and Tairuma. The villages towards the east of Kerema from Hamuhamu, Miaru to Iokea and inland to Moveave all speak Toaripi. The Gulf's traditional culture and knowledge was one of the first to be exposed to the outside world. Thus it was one of the first cultures to change, as outsiders, mainly Christian missionaries have visited many of the coastal people and encouraged them to abandon much of their native culture.
History
James Chalmers, or 'Tamate' as the locals of Toaripi called him, was the first white man to land in the province. He first landed in Iokea in 1885.
Industry
The Gulf area is blessed with many natural resources such as abundant marine life, rich jungle, sago, betelnut (buai), and many others. Rubber plantations were established in the 1930s, mainly by Australians. Currently oil and gas explorations are showing positive results and it will be major income earner to the province. The Interoil Gas Field has proven huge reserves. Fishing, logging and oil are the main industries, although betelnut and sago are the major cash crop for the local people. Gulf people supply 15% of the betelnut and sago to Port Moresby markets for cash.
Climate
Kerema has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) with heavy rainfall year-round. |width = auto |location = Kerema |metric first = yes |single line = yes |temperature colour = pastel |Jan high C = 31.6 |Feb high C = 31.5 |Mar high C = 31.3 |Apr high C = 30.9 |May high C = 30.1 |Jun high C = 29.0 |Jul high C = 28.2 |Aug high C = 28.3 |Sep high C = 29.0 |Oct high C = 29.9 |Nov high C = 31.0 |Dec high C = 31.5 |Jan mean C = 27.3 |Feb mean C = 27.3 |Mar mean C = 27.2 |Apr mean C = 26.9 |May mean C = 26.6 |Jun mean C = 25.7 |Jul mean C = 25.1 |Aug mean C = 25.0 |Sep mean C = 25.6 |Oct mean C = 26.3 |Nov mean C = 26.8 |Dec mean C = 27.2 |Jan low C = 23.0 |Feb low C = 23.1 |Mar low C = 23.1 |Apr low C = 22.9 |May low C = 23.1 |Jun low C = 22.4 |Jul low C = 22.0 |Aug low C = 21.8 |Sep low C = 22.3 |Oct low C = 22.7 |Nov low C = 22.7 |Dec low C = 23.0 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm= 228 |Feb rain mm= 232 |Mar rain mm= 260 |Apr rain mm= 260 |May rain mm= 437 |Jun rain mm= 383 |Jul rain mm= 329 |Aug rain mm= 282 |Sep rain mm= 289 |Oct rain mm= 279 |Nov rain mm= 188 |Dec rain mm= 217 |source =
References
References
- "Gulf Province Language Map". SIL-PNG.
- "Kerema Climate (Papua New Guinea)". climatedata.org.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::