Editing Port Moresby (section)

==History==
[[File:A Hiri expedition in the 1990s.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|A [[Hiri expedition]] arriving in Port Moresby in the 1990s]]

===Before colonisation===
Prior to the arrival of Europeans to the region, it was inhabited by the [[Motu people|Motu-Koitabu]]. The Motu were originally coastal dwellers, while the Koitabu lived more inland.<ref name="Goddard">{{cite journal |last1=Goddard |first1=Michael |title=Rethinking Western Motu Descent Groups |journal=Oceania |date=June 2001 |volume=71 |issue=4 |pages=313–333 |doi=10.1002/j.1834-4461.2001.tb02756.x |jstor=40332111 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40332111 |access-date=12 February 2023|hdl=1959.13/26788 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> There was significant intermarriage between these two groups. They were organized into units called ''iduhu'', which are somewhat similar to clans.<ref name="Goddard" />

===Colonisation===
{{stack|[[File:British flag raised on new guinea annexed by queensland.jpg|thumb|Queensland raises the British flag at Port Moresby in 1883]]|}}
[[File:Government House Port Moresby early 1900s.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Government House in Port Moresby—still used today though substantially enlarged—at the beginning of the 20th century]]

In 1883, [[Queensland]] attempted to annex the south-eastern corner of the New Guinea Island (subsequently known as Papua), fearing that Germany would take control of the entire eastern half of the island.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gordon |first1=Donald C. |title='Beginnings of an Australasian Pacific Policy' |journal=Political Science Quarterly |date=1945 |volume=60 |issue=1 |page=85 |doi=10.2307/2144459 |jstor=2144459 }}</ref> British authorities refused to approve the annexation following the German annexation of [[German New Guinea|New Guinea]] in 1884, but four years later it established a protectorate over Papua as [[Territory of Papua|British New Guinea]].

In 1905, the recently federated Australian government passed the [[Papua Act 1905|Papua Act]] which came into effect in 1906. The act transferred Papua, with Port Moresby as its capital, to direct Australian rule. From then until 1941 Port Moresby grew slowly. The main growth was on the peninsula, where port facilities and other services were gradually improved. The first butcher's shop and grocery opened in 1909,<ref>{{cite news | title =March of Civilisation | work =The Argus | page =5 | publisher =The Argus Office, Melbourne Victoria | date =7 September 1909 | url =https://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/files/journals/9/articles/5183/submission/original/5183-15633-2-SM.html | access-date =29 November 2009 | archive-date =4 August 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180804222129/http://rockinrebel.com/ | url-status =dead }}</ref> electricity was introduced in 1925,<ref>{{cite news | title =Progress in Papua | work =The Argus | page =12 | publisher =The Argus Office, Melbourne Victoria | date =5 September 1925 | url =https://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/files/journals/9/articles/5183/submission/original/5183-15633-2-SM.html | access-date =29 November 2009 | archive-date =4 August 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180804222129/http://rockinrebel.com/ | url-status =dead }}</ref> and piped water supply was provided in 1941.<ref>{{cite news | title =Department of the Interior: Tenders | work =The Argus | page =18 | publisher =The Argus Office, Melbourne Victoria | date =25 January 1941 | url =https://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/files/journals/9/articles/5183/submission/original/5183-15633-2-SM.html | access-date =29 November 2009 | archive-date =4 August 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180804222129/http://rockinrebel.com/ | url-status =dead }}</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:The long-closed Burns Philp department store.jpg|thumb|upright|The long-closed [[Burns Philp]] department store, in the mid-1990s having been used as a private school building]]
During [[World War II]], some Papuan men enlisted in the [[Royal Pacific Islands Regiment|Papua Infantry Battalion]] and others as carriers over trails and rough terrains ([[Porter (carrier)|porter]]s) as supply support to [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] and [[Japan]]ese armies during long jungle marches.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/files/journals/9/articles/5183/submission/original/5183-15633-2-SM.html|title=Australian War Memorial - AJRP Essays|publisher=Ajrp.awm.gov.au|access-date=2010-04-25|archive-date=4 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804222129/http://rockinrebel.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Historian [[William Manchester]] outlines in his biography of General [[Douglas MacArthur]], ''[[American Caesar]]'', that acting as porters was well down the natives' list of acceptable voluntary activities and that they would fade away without great inducements.<ref name="Caesar0">[[American Caesar]], [[William Manchester]], 1978, Little Brown Company, 793 pages, {{ISBN|0-316-54498-1}}, pp.306: "On and about Jul-Sep 1942 and MacArthur's troops stop the Japanese in the difficult jungles of New Guinea and General Kenney gifts Port Moresby to the SAC by moving the bomber line {{convert|1800|mi|km|disp=sqbr}} to five new air bases."</ref> Many Papuan residents of Port Moresby either returned to their family villages or were evacuated to camps when the threat of Japanese invasion loomed. By September 1942, the city was an important Allied complex of bases, and thousands of troops were stationed in the area or more often, staged through it, as it was the last Allied bastion on the island<ref name=FourCorners_Amazon_entry>{{cite book |title=Amazon.com listing for the "Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea" |isbn=0792274172 |last1=Salak |first1=Kira |year=2004 |publisher=National Geographic }}</ref><ref name=FourCornersWeb>{{cite web |url=http://www.kirasalak.com/FourCorners.html |title=Nonfiction book about Papua New Guinea,"Four Corners" |last=Salak |first=Kira |access-date=2008-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120015656/http://www.kirasalak.com/FourCorners.html |archive-date=2008-11-20 |url-status=live }}</ref> and, conversely, a key staging and jumping off point as the Allies began conducting offensive warfare themselves, pushing back the Japanese advances.<ref name="Caesar1">[[American Caesar]], [[William Manchester]], 1978, Little Brown Company,793 pages, {{ISBN|0-316-54498-1}}, pp.290-307: "On and about Feb-Dec 1942 and MacArthur's reorganization of troops, lack of theater priority, his support for Guadalcanal and his daring offensive gamble in going to meet the Japanese in the difficult jungles of New Guinea as a way of conducting a forward defense of Australia, rather than risk a war of maneuver when he had insufficient forces to move around."</ref> General MacArthur located his headquarters in Port Moresby from November 1942 to October 1944.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

In 1945, the [[Territory of Papua and New Guinea]] was formed when [[Territory of Papua|Papua]] and the former German New Guinea, which had been administered by Australia since 1918, were amalgamated under a single Australian administration though several laws remained in two territories and remain so, which can be complicating with provinces sitting on two sides of the otherwise extinct boundary. Port Moresby became the capital of the new combined territory and a focal point for the expansion of public services. Port Moresby was granted city status in 1972, with [[Oala Oala-Rarua]] becoming the first Lord Mayor.<ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250270589 Our first city] ''Papua New Guinea Post-Courier'', 14 April 1972</ref>

===Independence===
[[File:Port Moresby parliament building front, by Steve Shattuck.jpg|thumb|upright|Front side of the parliament building]]
In September 1975, Papua New Guinea became an independent country with Port Moresby as its capital city. Prince [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]], represented the [[Monarchy of Papua New Guinea|Queen of Papua New Guinea]] at the celebrations.<ref name=TelegraphPoW>{{citation| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/9552611/Prince-of-Wales-and-Duchess-of-Cornwall-to-make-Australian-visit.html| title=Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to make Australian visit| date=19 September 2012| newspaper=The Telegraph| access-date=21 September 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921114200/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/9552611/Prince-of-Wales-and-Duchess-of-Cornwall-to-make-Australian-visit.html| archive-date=21 September 2012| url-status=live}}</ref> New government, intellectual and cultural buildings were constructed in the suburb of [[Waigani]] to supplement and replace those of downtown Port Moresby. They included those for government departments, including a National Parliament Building, which was opened in 1984 by Prince Charles and blends traditional design with modern building technology.<ref name=TelegraphPoW/>

[[File:Douglas Street Port Moresby.jpg|thumb|left|Douglas Street, Port Moresby: Old hotel lot, vacant for 30 years, and new building behind it.]]
[[File:Site of POM downtown UC being redeveloped.jpg|thumb|left|The longstanding downtown United Church with next door office building in 2013 were replaced with one building, the church on the ground floor.]]

The [[Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery|Papua New Guinea National Museum]] and National Library are in [[Waigani]]. A mansion was built in Port Moresby just west of the old legislative building but the last pre-independence chief minister and first prime minister of the sovereign state declared it not nearly grand enough; it was made the residence of Australian high commissioners and a mansion suitable to Somare's demands was built in Waigani.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Several of the government buildings have been abandoned due to long-term neglect. Chief amongst these are Marea Haus (known to most locals as the "Pineapple Building") and the Central Government Offices.{{cn|date=April 2023}} However, widespread restoration rather than demolition of long-disused office buildings has been highly active since the first decade of the 21st century.{{cn|date=April 2023}} The legislative building before independence and the first parliament building is long-gone but the old court house in town Port Moresby remains, bearing its pre-independence label with its previous title.

The population of the Port Moresby area expanded rapidly after independence. In 1980, the census return registered a population of 120,000; by 1990, this had increased to 195,000.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pcabii.org/resources/provinces/Port%20Moresby.pdf |title=''pcabii.org'' |access-date=2017-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803055354/http://pcabii.org/resources/provinces/Port%20Moresby.pdf |archive-date=2017-08-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>