Autonomous Region of Bougainville

{{Main|History of Bougainville}}

File:Pfahlhaus-Nachbau Toborei.jpg

Bougainville has been inhabited by humans for at least 29,000 years, according to evidence obtained from Kilu Cave on Buka Island.{{cite book|first=Matthew|last=Spriggs|editor-first1=Anthony|editor-last1=Regan|editor-first2=Helga-Maria|editor-last2=Griffin|chapter=Bougainville's early history: an archaeological perspective|year=2005|title=Bougainville Before the Conflict|publisher=Stranger Journalism|isbn=9781740761383|page=1}} Until about 10,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, there was a single island referred to as "Greater Bougainville" that spanned from the northern tip of Buka Island to the Nggela Islands north of Guadalcanal.{{sfn|Spriggs|2005|pp=2–4}}

The first inhabitants of Bougainville were Australo-Melanesians who presumably arrived from the Bismarck Archipelago.{{sfn|Spriggs|2005|p=5}} Around 3,000 years ago, Austronesian peoples brought the Lapita culture to the islands,{{sfn|Spriggs|2005|p=18}} introducing pottery, agriculture, and domesticated animals such as pigs, dogs, and chickens.{{sfn|Spriggs|2005|p=9}} Both Austronesian and non-Austronesian languages are spoken on the islands to this day, however there has been significant mixing between the populations to the point that cultural and genetic differences are no longer correlated with language.{{sfn|Spriggs|2005|p=19}}

File:Soldiers hoisting the Union Jack at Kieta, Bougainville, German New Guinea.jpg, Bougainville, following their capture of German New Guinea in 1914]]

The first Europeans to sight present-day Bougainville were the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire, who glimpsed Takuu Atoll and Nissan Island in 1616. British naval officer Philip Carteret saw Buka Island in 1767 and also visited the islands that were later named in his honour. In 1768, French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville sailed along the east coast of the island that now bears his name.{{sfn|Spriggs|2005|p=18}}

The German Empire, which had already begun operations in New Guinea, annexed present-day Bougainville in 1886, after agreeing with the United Kingdom to divide the Solomon Islands archipelago between them.{{cite book|first=Peter|last=Sack|editor-first1=Anthony|editor-last1=Regan|editor-first2=Helga-Maria|editor-last2=Griffin|chapter=German Colonial Rule in the Northern Solomons|year=2005|title=Bougainville Before the Conflict|publisher=Stranger Journalism|isbn=9781740761383|page=77}} A German protectorate over the northern islands was established later that year, but the British Solomon Islands Protectorate was not established until 1893.{{cite book|first=James|last=Griffin|editor-first1=Anthony|editor-last1=Regan|editor-first2=Helga-Maria|editor-last2=Griffin|chapter=Origins of Bougainville's Boundaries|year=2005|title=Bougainville Before the Conflict|publisher=Stranger Journalism|isbn=9781740761383|page=74}} The initial boundary between the two territories was much more southerly, with Choiseul Island, Santa Isabel Island, Ontong Java, the Shortland Islands, and part of the Florida Islands included in the German section. The current boundary between PNG and Solomon Islands is derived from the Tripartite Convention of 1899, which saw those islands ceded to the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Griffin|2005|p=75}}

The German Solomon Islands were administered through German New Guinea, although it took almost two decades for an administrative presence to be established. The German administrative station at Kieta, established in 1905, was preceded by a Marist mission, which succeeded in converting a majority of the islanders to Catholicism.{{sfn|Sack|2005|p=84}} The first fully commercial plantation was established in 1908, but German annexation had little economic impact.{{sfn|Sack|2005|pp=85–87}}

The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force occupied Bougainville in December 1914, as part of the Australian occupation of German New Guinea. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles established the former colony as a League of Nations mandate, administered by Australia as the Territory of New Guinea. A civilian administration was established in 1920, after which German nationals were deported and their property expropriated.{{cite book|first=Peter|last=Elder|editor-first1=Anthony|editor-last1=Regan|editor-first2=Helga-Maria|editor-last2=Griffin|chapter=Between the Waitman{{'}}s Wars: 1914–42|year=2005|title=Bougainville Before the Conflict|publisher=Stranger Journalism|isbn=9781740761383|page=146}} A number of punitive expeditions took place during both the German and Australian administrations, as part of "pacification" programs. The colonial period saw significant changes in the culture of the islanders.{{sfn|Elder|2005|p=150}}

File:42 Bombardment Group - B-25 Mitchells.jpgs from the 42nd Bombardment Group over the Selay Peninsula of Bougainville, 1944]]

In 1942, Bougainville was invaded by the Japanese in order to provide a support base for the operations elsewhere in the South-West Pacific. The Allied counter-invasion resulted in heavy casualties, beginning in 1943, with full control of the islands not re-established until 1945. After the war the Australian government incorporated Bougainville and the rest of the mandate into the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, the immediate predecessor of present-day Papua New Guinea.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975. As Bougainville is rich in copper and gold, a large mine had been established at Panguna in the early 1970s by Bougainville Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. Disputes by regional residents with the company over adverse environmental impacts, failure to share financial benefits, and negative social changes brought by the mine resulted in a local revival for a secessionist movement that had been dormant. Activists proclaimed the independence of Bougainville (Republic of North Solomons) in 1975 and in 1990, but both times central government forces suppressed the democratic independence movement.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

{{main|Bougainville conflict}}

In 1988, the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) increased their activity significantly. Prime Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu ordered the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) to put down the rebellion, and the conflict escalated into a civil war. The PNGDF retreated from permanent positions on Bougainville in 1990 but continued military action. The conflict involved pro-independence and loyalist Bougainvillean groups as well as the PNGDF. The war claimed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 lives.{{cite journal

|last = Saovana-Spriggs

|first = Ruth

|title = Christianity and women in Bougainville

|journal = Development Bulletin

|issue = 51

|pages = 58–60

|year = 2000

|url = http://devnet.anu.edu.au/GenderPacific/pdfs/15_gen_gov_saovanaspriggs.pdf

|access-date = 2007-10-11

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070829115822/http://devnet.anu.edu.au/GenderPacific/pdfs/15_gen_gov_saovanaspriggs.pdf

|archive-date = 2007-08-29

|url-status = dead

}}

{{cite web

|title=EU Relations with Papua New Guinea

|publisher=European Commission

|url=http://ec.europa.eu/development/Geographical/RegionsCountries/Countries/Papua%20New%20Guinea.htm

|access-date=2007-10-11

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071009214716/http://ec.europa.eu/development/Geographical/RegionsCountries/Countries/Papua%20New%20Guinea.htm

| archive-date= 9 October 2007

| url-status= live

}}

In 1996, Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan made the controversial move to hire Sandline International, a private military company previously involved in supplying mercenaries in the civil war in Sierra Leone, to put down the rebellion.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

File:HMAS Wewak during Operation Bel Isi.jpg]]

The Bougainville conflict ended in 1997 after negotiations brokered by New Zealand. In 2000, A peace agreement was completed and, together with disarmament, provided for the establishment of an Autonomous Bougainville Government. The parties agreed to have a referendum in the future on whether the island should become politically independent.[http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/may2001/png-m23.shtml Will Marshall, "Papua New Guinea government obtains shaky weapons disposal pact in Bougainville"], World Socialist Web Site, May 23, 2001. Accessed on line March 4, 2008.

On 25 July 2005, rebel leader Francis Ona died after a short illness. A former surveyor with Bougainville Copper, Ona was a key figure in the secessionist conflict and had refused to formally join the island's peace process.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In 2015, Australia announced it would establish a diplomatic post in Bougainville for the first time.{{cite web|last1=Medhora|first1=Shalailah|title=Papua New Guinea not told of Australia's plans for new diplomatic post there|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/03/papua-new-guinea-not-told-of-australias-plans-for-new-diplomatic-post-there?CMP=ema_1731|website=The Guardian |date=3 June 2015|access-date=4 June 2015}} In 2016, it cancelled those plans acknowledging that it had not obtained the PNG government's approval.[https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/303341/canberra-abandons-bougainville-mission-plan Canberra abandons Bougainville mission plan], Radio New Zealand, 8 May 2016

In 2019, a non-binding independence referendum was held with 98.3% voting for independence rather than continued autonomy within Papua New Guinea. As a result, the regional authorities intend to become independent between 2025 and 2027. A draft constitution for a "Republic of Bougainville" was published by the Autonomous Bougainville Government in May 2024. In March 2025, the Bougainville Leaders Consultation Forum recommended 1 September 2027 as the date of independence. Prime Minister James Marape cautioned that Bougainville's economy is not sustainable enough for independence.

The Bougainville region occupies the north of the Solomon archipelago with Bougainville Island, which is the largest island of this group. The border between Papua New Guinea and the nation of Solomon Islands lies just south in the middle of a {{cvt|9|km}} strait that separates it from the Shortland Islands.

The island of Buka is north of Bougainville, separated by a narrow strait. The region includes other more or less remote islands and atolls:

File:White Island, Bougainville.jpg

• the Green Islands with its main island Nissan;
• the Carteret Islands;
• Takuu Atoll, a Polynesian outlier;
• Nukumanu Atoll, a Polynesian outlier;
• the Nuguria Islands, a Polynesian outlier.

The territory constitutes an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean that has an area of 9384 square kilometres.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

{{Politics of Bougainville}}

{{main|Autonomous Bougainville Government}}

Elections for the first autonomous government were held in May and June 2005; Joseph Kabui, an independence leader, was elected president. He died in office on 6 June 2008. After interim elections to fill the remainder of his term, John Momis was elected as president in 2010 for a five-year term. He supports autonomy within a relationship with the national government of Papua New Guinea.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The Constitution of Bougainville specifies that the Autonomous Bougainville Government shall consist of three branches:

• Executive: the President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville who chairs the Bougainville Executive Council.
• Legislative: the Bougainville House of Representatives (39 elected members and two ex officio members).
• Judicial: the Bougainville Courts including a Supreme Court and High Court.

The capital city is Buka, which became the centre of government after Arawa was damaged during the Bougainville Civil War. The status of Buka is considered temporary, and the government is deciding on the location of a permanent capital.{{cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/452411/bougainvilleans-consulted-on-location-for-new-capital |title=Bougainvilleans consulted on location for new capital |work=RNZ |date=27 September 2021 |access-date=4 October 2021}}

{{Main|2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum}}

President John Momis confirmed that Bougainville would hold a non-binding independence referendum in 2019.{{cite web |url=http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/pacific-beat/bougainville-confirms-independence-referendum-before-2020/1077886 |title=Bougainville confirms independence referendum before 2020 |website=Radio Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225138/http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/pacific-beat/bougainville-confirms-independence-referendum-before-2020/1077886 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |date=24 January 2013 |access-date=8 March 2016 |url-status=dead}} The governments of both Bougainville and Papua New Guinea held a two-week referendum period which began on 23 November 2019 and closed on 7 December 2019, which is the final step in the Bougainville Peace Agreement.{{cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/304534/ball-rolling-on-bougainville-referendum |title=Ball rolling on Bougainville referendum |work=Radio New Zealand |date=22 May 2016 |access-date=30 May 2016}} The referendum question was a choice between greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea, or full independence. Over 98% of the valid ballots were cast for independence.{{Cite web |url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/africa/article/2001352846/bougainville-voters-back-independence-by-landslide |title=Bougainville voters back independence by landslide |work=The Standard |date=11 December 2019 |access-date=31 May 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Yeung |first1=Jessie |last2=Watson |first2=Angus |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/11/asia/bougainville-papua-new-guinea-intl-hnk/index.html |title=Bougainville independence vote delivers emphatic demand to become world's newest nation |work=CNN |date=11 December 2019 |access-date=11 December 2019}}

Ishmael Toroama, a former rebel leader, was elected president of Bougainville on 23 September 2020.{{cite news |last=Barrett |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-papua-bougainville-election-idUSKCN26E00O |title=Bougainville elects former rebel commander as next president |work=Reuters |date=23 September 2020 |access-date=31 May 2021}}

Negotiations between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville began on 17 May 2021.{{cite web |last=Mercer |first=Phil |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_papua-new-guinea-begins-breakaway-talks-bougainville-leader/6205902.html |title=Papua New Guinea Begins Breakaway Talks with Bougainville Leader |work=Voice of America |date=17 May 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021}} While Toroama stated a desire to see Bougainville become independent by June 2025, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape cautioned against setting a specific timetable.{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/bougainville-president-wants-independence-from-png-by-2025/13350300 |title=Bougainville president wants independence from PNG by 2025 |work=ABC Online |date=19 May 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/442892/bougainville-s-president-seeks-independence-by-2025 |title=Bougainville's president seeks independence by 2025 |work=Radio New Zealand |date=19 May 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021}} On 7 July 2021, it was announced that Bougainville will become independent by the end of 2027 pending approval of the PNG parliament. In March 2025, the Bougainville Leaders Consultation recommended 1 September 2027 as the date of independence.{{Cite web|date=2021-07-07|title=PNG, B'ville agree on latter's independence|url=https://postcourier.com.pg/png-bville-agree-on-latters-independence/|access-date=2021-07-07|website=Post Courier|language=en-US}}

File:Bvdistricts.svg

File:Un-bougainville.png]]

The region is divided into three districts, which are further divided into Local Level Government (LLGs) areas. For census purposes, the LLGAs are subdivided into wards, and those into census units.{{cite web|url=http://www.spc.int/PRISM/country/pg/Stats/Special_Products/Descrpn.htm|title=Pacific Regional Statistics - Secretariat of the Pacific Community|website=Spc.int}}

The great majority of Bougainville residents are Christian, with an estimated 70% being Roman Catholic and a substantial minority being of the Protestant United Church of Papua New Guinea since 1968. The Catholic Church has its own diocese in the region (Diocese of Bougainville or Dioecesis Buganvillensis).{{Cite web|title=Bougainville (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]|url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dboug.html|access-date=2021-09-15|website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}} The cathedral and main church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, and can be found on Buka Island. It was formerly the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in the former mission of Tubiana. There are a total of 33 Catholic parishes and one mission in the region.{{Cite web|title=Diocese of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/boug0.htm|access-date=2021-09-15|website=GCatholic}}

Bougainville's constitution, written in English, does not specify an official language, but calls for constitutional literature to be translated into Tok Pisin and as many local languages as possible, while also encouraging the "development, preservation, and enrichment of all Bougainville languages".

The most widely spoken Austronesian language is Halia and its dialects, spoken in the island of Buka and the Selau peninsula of Northern Bougainville. Other Austronesian languages include Nehan, Petats, Solos, Saposa (Taiof), Hahon and Tinputz, all spoken in the northern quarter of Bougainville, Buka and surrounding islands. These languages are closely related. Bannoni and Torau are Austronesian languages not closely related to the former, which are spoken in the coastal areas of central and south Bougainville. On the nearby Takuu Atoll a Polynesian language is spoken, Takuu.Irwin, H. (1980). Takuu Dictionary. : A Polynesian language of the South Pacific. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. 428pp. {{ISBN|978-0858836372}}.

{{Further|Panguna mine}}

File:Buin NSP Saturday market 1978.jpg, 1978]]

Official statistics about Bougainville's economy are not available. The PNG National Research Institute estimates its GDP per capita at $1,100 {{asof|2019|lc=y|post=.}}{{Cite web |title=Trying To Form The World's Newest Country, Bougainville Has A Road Ahead |url=https://wamu.org/story/19/12/30/trying-to-form-the-worlds-newest-country-bougainville-has-a-road-ahead/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=WAMU |language=en}}

A small percentage of the region's economy is from mining. The majority of economic growth comes from agriculture and aquaculture. The region's biodiversity, which is one of the most important in Oceania, is heavily threatened by mining activities. Mining activities have caused civil unrest in the region many{{quantify|date=November 2019}} times.{{when|date=November 2019}} In January 2018, a moratorium on one mine was imposed by the Papua New Guinea government, in a bid to calm civil unrest against mining in the region.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/10/bougainville-imposes-moratorium-on-panguna-mine-over-fears-of-civil-unrest|title=Bougainville imposes moratorium on Panguna mine over fears of civil unrest|first=Helen|last=Davidson|date=10 January 2018|website=The Guardian }}

Bougainville had one of the world's largest open-pit copper mines, the Pangunamine, from 1972 to 1989, which for many years generated a large part of Papua New Guinea's gross national product. The mine was operated by the Australian company Bougainville Copper (BLC), a subsidiary of the British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto/CRA, which had majority control of the company. The state of Papua New Guinea (PNG) holds a 19.1% stake in Bougainville Copper.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

As a result of the civil war and the rebel-forced closure of the mine, Papua New Guinea's government revenues fell by 20%. Some hope for the eventual reopening of the Panguna mine. Negotiations to reopen the Panguna mine began in early March 2006 with talks between former PNG Mines Minister Sam Akoitai and the Rio Tinto corporation in London. Some representatives of landowners in the Panguna area have repeatedly agreed to resume mining operations, albeit in conjunction with demands for large compensation payments from the mine operator BCL.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Yields from the two main exports, cocoa and copra, returned to pre-civil war levels in 2007. Largely operated by Europeans, Asians, churches and corporations, large-scale commercial plantations, which were responsible for a significant share of production before the civil war, are now used by smaller local operators. Further processing is done by small cocoa dryers promoted by AusAid.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Bougainville Region is the most productive in all of PNG for cocoa.{{cite journal | last1=Singh | first1=Kanika | last2=Sanderson | first2=Todd | last3=Field | first3=Damien | last4=Fidelis | first4=Chris | last5=Yinil | first5=David | title=Soil security for developing and sustaining cocoa production in Papua New Guinea | journal=Geoderma Regional | publisher=Elsevier | volume=17 | year=2019 | issn=2352-0094 | doi=10.1016/j.geodrs.2019.e00212 | page=e00212| bibcode=2019GeodR..1700212S | s2cid=169334618 }} Omuru et al., 2001 find households farming cacao (Theobroma cacao) average an income of US$215/year. The {{visible anchor|Cocoa Pod Borer}} (Conopomorpha cramerella) was considered a large risk for invasion here due to its invasion of nearby areas of Southeast Asia

{{Unbulleted list citebundle

|{{cite book | last1=Priyadarshan | first1=P. M. | last2=Jain | first2=S. Mohan | title=Cash Crops : Genetic Diversity, Erosion, Conservation and Utilization | publisher=Springer | publication-place=Cham, Switzerland | date=2022 | isbn=978-3-030-74926-2 | oclc=1280049054 | pages=x+626 | id={{isbn|978-3-030-74925-5}}}}{{rp|page=27}}

|{{cite journal | last=Makowski | first=David | title=Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in quantitative pest risk assessments; practical rules for risk assessors | journal=NeoBiota | publisher=Pensoft | volume=18 | date=2013-09-13 | issn=1314-2488 | doi=10.3897/neobiota.18.3993 | pages=157–171 | s2cid=54581146| doi-access=free }}

|{{cite book | last=Daymond | first=Andrew | title=Achieving sustainable cultivation of cocoa | chapter=Safe handling and movement of cocoa germplasm for breeding | series=Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science | publisher=Burleigh Dodds | date=2018-08-09 | issn=2059-6936 | doi=10.19103/as.2017.0021.05 | pages=101–110 | isbn=9781838793524 | s2cid=135361074| url=http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/79464/1/Safe_Movement_Chapter_ADaymond%20%282%29.pdf }}

|{{cite journal | last1=Yen | first1=Jian D. L. | last2=Waters | first2=Edward K. | last3=Hamilton | first3=Andrew J. | title=Cocoa Pod Borer (Conopomorpha cramerella Snellen) in Papua New Guinea: Biosecurity Models for New Ireland and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville | journal=Risk Analysis | publisher=Wiley | volume=30 | issue=2 | year=2010 | issn=0272-4332 | doi=10.1111/j.1539-6924.2009.01297.x | pages=293–309 | pmid=19765245 | bibcode=2010RiskA..30..293Y | s2cid=40901404}}

}}

including East New Britain.{{cite web | title=Restoring Livelihoods for Cocoa Farmers in Papua New Guinea after Widespread Crop Disease | website=World Bank | date=June 26, 2013 | url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/06/26/restoring-livelihoods-for-cocoa-farmers-in-png-after-widespread-crop-disease | access-date=2022-06-20}} There was great interest in modelling and phytosanitation practices to forestall its introduction. Unfortunately CPB did arrive here and in 2011 the World Bank's {{visible anchor|Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project}} was created to help farmers control the insect. From the 2009 production level, bean tonnage fell by over 41% by 2014 (although this also includes trees aging out).{{cite web | title=Papua New Guinea: Restoring the 'Stream of Cocoa' to Bougainville | website=World Bank | date=September 17, 2014 | url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/09/17/papua-new-guinea-restoring-the-stream-of-cocoa-to-bougainville | access-date=2022-06-20}} The Tinputz area {{endash}} including Namatoa {{endash}} had been the highest-producing part of the region and has seen many farms be abandoned and return to jungle. PPAP hopes to revive the industry around Namatoa. Cryptolaemus sinestria is a mealybug of cacao trees here, observed at a Buka agricultural station.{{cite journal | last1=Booth | first1=R. G. | last2=Pope | first2=R. D. | title=A review of the genus Cryptolaemus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) with particular reference to the species resembling C. montrouzieri Mulsant | journal=Bulletin of Entomological Research | publisher=Cambridge University Press (CUP) | volume=76 | issue=4 | year=1986 | issn=0007-4853 | doi=10.1017/s0007485300015194 | pages=701–717}}

Termites are common agricultural pests in Bougainville.{{cite journal | last=Gray | first=B. | title=Forest tree and timber insect pests in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea | journal=Pacific Insects | date=20 August 1968 | s2cid=86282067 | pages=301{{endash}}323 | volume=10 | number=2}} Microcerotermes biroi and Nasutitermes novanimhebridarum are pests of coconut (Cocos nucifera). N. novanimhebridarum is also a pest of cacao (Theobroma cacao) here. Termite pests found here tend to be shared with many of the nearby islands.

File:Men of Soraken wearing upe.jpg wearing upe, a headdress representing the transition to adulthood which later became a national symbol of Bougainville]]

A law passed by the provincial assembly – the Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Act 2018 – affirmed the existing official status of the flag of Bougainville and emblem of Bougainville. Both the flag and emblem feature stylised depictions of the upe, a traditional headdress worn by men in parts of Bougainville to symbolise their transition to adulthood. The law also established "My Bougainville" as the region's anthem.{{cite news|url=http://www.abg.gov.pg/uploads/acts/18-03_Bougainville_Flag%2C_Emblem_and_Anthem_%28Protection%29_Act_2018.pdf|title=BOUGAINVILLE FLAG, EMBLEM AND ANTHEM (PROTECTION) ACT 2018|publisher=Autonomous Bougainville Government|access-date=8 December 2019}}{{cite news|url=http://www.abg.gov.pg/uploads/acts/Bougainville_Flag,_Emblem_and_Anthem_(Protection)_Bill_2018_-_Explanatory_Note.pdf|title=Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Bill 2018: Explanatory Note|publisher=Autonomous Bougainville Government|access-date=8 December 2019}}

Rugby league in Bougainville is administered by the Bougainville Rugby Football League (BRFL), which is affiliated with the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL).{{cite news|url=https://postcourier.com.pg/new-executives-set-revive-rugby-league/|title=New Executives Set To Revive Rugby League|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|date=12 June 2018|access-date=9 December 2019}} A number of Bougainvilleans have played for the Papua New Guinea national rugby league team, including Bernard Wakatsi, Joe Katsi, Lauta Atoi, and Chris Siriosi.{{cite news|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2015/03/23/league-bilong-laif-program-commences-in-bougainville/|title=League Bilong Laif program commences in Bougainville|publisher=National Rugby League|date=23 March 2015|access-date=9 December 2019}}

F.C. Bougainville has played in the National Soccer League since 2019, although it is based in Port Moresby rather than in Bougainville itself.{{cite news|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/380833/sport-bougainville-to-make-png-national-soccer-league-debut|title=Sport: Bougainville to make PNG National Soccer League debut|publisher=Radio New Zealand |date=24 January 2019|access-date=9 December 2019}} Previously, a team from Bougainville won the national soccer championships in 1977, defeating Rabaul.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/251049901|title=A soccer lesson from Bougainville|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|date=14 April 1977}} Historically the Bougainville Soccer Association came into conflict with the Papua New Guinea Football Association over various matters.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250866810|title=Bougainville soccer issues a challenge|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|date=10 August 1973}}

During the 1970s and 1980s, teams from Bougainville played against other regions in the PNG national championships for Australian rules football,{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250531143|title=Rabaul too fit for Bougainville|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|date=21 May 1975}} cricket,{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250585712|title=Shield match in doubt|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|date=15 February 1980}} and field hockey.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250254354|title=Hockey booming in Bougainville|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|date=27 April 1971}}

Boxing is popular in Bougainville. The region won the 2017 National Boxing Championships, which were hosted in Arawa.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenational.com.pg/bougainville-wins-boxing-title/|title=Bougainville wins boxing title|newspaper=The National|date=18 September 2017|access-date=9 December 2019}} Notable boxers from the region include Commonwealth Boxing Council titleholder Johnny Aba and Pacific Games gold medalist Thadius Katua.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bougainville24.com/bougainville-sport/katua-in-rio-to-chase-olympic-dream/|title=Katua in Rio to chase Olympic dream|last=Belu|first=Simon|publisher=Bougainville|access-date=2016-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825210646/http://www.bougainville24.com/bougainville-sport/katua-in-rio-to-chase-olympic-dream/|archive-date=2016-08-25|url-status=usurped}}

Bougainvillean netball player Maleta Roberts has played professionally in Australia and represented the Papua New Guinea national netball team at the Commonwealth Games.{{cite news|url=https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/1993901/pride-of-a-nation/|title=Pride of a nation|newspaper=Bendigo Advertiser|date=27 December 2013|access-date=9 December 2019}}

{{portal|New Guinea}}

• Bougainville – Our Island Our Fight, a 1998 documentary film
• List of active separatist movements in Oceania
• List of autonomous areas by country
• North Solomon Islands

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Gillespie|first=Waratah Rosemarie|title=Running with Rebels: Behind the Lies in Bougainville's hidden war|isbn=978-0-646-51047-7|year=2009|publisher=Ginibi Productions|location=Australia}}
• {{cite book|last=Oliver|first=Douglas |title=Bougainville: A Personal History |publisher=Melbourne University Press|location=Melbourne|year=1973}}
• {{cite book|last=Oliver|first=Douglas |title=Black Islanders: A Personal Perspective of Bougainville, 1937–1991|publisher=Hyland House|location=Melbourne|year=1991}} Repeats text from previous 1973 reference and updates with summaries of Papua New Guinea press reports on the Bougainville Crisis.
• {{cite book|last=Pelton|first=Robert Young|title=Hunter Hammer and Heaven, Journeys to Three World's Gone Mad|isbn=1-58574-416-6|year=2002|publisher=Lyons Press|location=Guilford, Conn.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hunterhammerheav00pelt}}
• {{cite book|last=Quodling|first=Paul |title=Bougainville: The Mine and the People}}
• {{cite book|editor1=Regan, Anthony |editor2=Griffin, Helga |title=Bougainville Before the Crisis|publisher=Pandanus Books|location=Canberra|year=2005}}

{{External links|section|date=June 2019}}

{{commons category}}

{{Wikivoyage|Bougainville}}

• [http://www.abg.gov.pg/ Autonomous Bougainville Government]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160306003913/http://investbougainville.com/ Bougainville Inward Investment Bureau]
• [http://peacemaker.un.org/node/1137 Full text of the Peace Agreement for Bougainville]
• [http://www.paclii.org/pg/legis/consol_act/cotarob2004558/ Constitution of Bougainville]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120414213449/http://www.c-r.org/our-work/accord/png-bougainville/index.php Conciliation Resources—Bougainville Project]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061020045117/http://www.cultureshop.org/details.php?code=COCOREV The Coconut Revolution], a documentary film about the Bougainville Revolutionary Army.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130510031429/http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s400627.htm "Interview with Francis Ona" (1997)]—Australian Broadcasting Corporation World in Focus; interview with Francis Ona. Interviewed by Wayne Coles-Janess.

{{Districts of Bougainville}}

{{Provinces of Papua New Guinea}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2000 in Papua New Guinea

Category:Autonomous regions

Category:Geography of Melanesia

Category:Islands Region (Papua New Guinea)

Category:Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization

Category:Provinces of Papua New Guinea

Category:Separatism in Papua New Guinea

Category:Solomon Islands (archipelago)

Category:States and territories established in 2000

Category:Proposed countries