New Britain

Largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of Papua New Guinea; capital Rabaul; population (2000) East New Britain 220,100; West New Britain 184,500. It has an area of 37,800 sq km/14,600 sq mi, an average width of 80 km/50 mi and is 482 km/300 mi long. The highest mountain is Mount Sinewit, 2,438 m/7,999 ft. Copra is the chief product; coffee, cocoa, palm oil, timber, and iron are also produced. Gold, copper, and coal are mined. The population is Melanesian.

Two volcanoes erupted in September 1994, covering Rabaul in ash and mud. There were no deaths, largely because of a volcano monitoring programme which detected the pending eruption; over 30,000 people were evacuated from the area. There was a previous eruption in 1937.

The island is largely undeveloped except on the Gazelle Peninsula in the north and in the south, where there are some plantations. A mountain chain runs down the entire length of the island and there are active volcanoes. New Britain was visited by the English explorer William Dampier in 1699. The island was under German control 1884–1914, when it was known as Neu-Pommern. From 1920 to 1975 it was administered mainly by Australia, apart from 1942–45 when it was occupied by Japan.

New Britain

City in Hartford County, central Connecticut; population (1992 est) 72,900. It is located 9 mi/14 km southwest of Hartford and lies to the northeast of Waterbury. Known as the ‘Hardware City’, it has long been industrialized, and is home to several toolmaking companies, including Stanley. It is also a major producer of hardware, household appliances, computer components, machinery, and electrical equipment. New Britain is home to Central Connecticut State University (1849).

The city was founded in 1686 (as the Great Swamp) by settlers from nearby Berlin. By 1832 steam was powering its lock factories.