New Britain

New Britain
n.
1. the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, in the W central Pacific Ocean. 175,369. ab. 14,600 sq. mi. (37,814 sq. km). Cap.: Rabaul.
2. a city in central Connecticut. 73,840.

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formerly Neu-Pommern

Largest island (population 1999 est.: 435,000) in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea.

It was visited and named by English explorer William Dampier in 1700. After periods under German, Australian, and Japanese rule, it became part of Papua New Guinea in 1975 when that nation attained independence. It is crescent-shaped and heavily forested, and it has several volcanoes. Its highest peak, Mount Sinewit, at 7,999 ft (2,438 m), erupted violently in 1937. Commercial products include coconuts, cocoa, and palm oil. Its harbours include Blanche Bay, Talasea, and Jacquinot Bay.

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      city, coextensive with the town (township) of New Britain, Hartford county, central Connecticut, U.S. Settled as the Stanley Quarter to the north in 1686 and followed later by the Great Swamp settlement to the south, the area became the New Britain parish of Farmington in 1754. In 1785 Berlin town, including New Britain parish, was separately incorporated from Farmington. Metalworking began in New Britain in the 18th century, and Berlin, now a suburb, was where the first tinware in North America was made. In 1850 New Britain was incorporated as a town and borough; by that time it was a manufacturing centre producing tools, locks, and other hardware. Such products and machinery are also the city's principal modern industries. New Britain is the seat of Central Connecticut State University (established as a state normal [teacher-training] school, 1849) and the New Britain Museum of American Art (founded 1903), noted for its collection of American paintings. Inc. city, 1871; town and city consolidated, 1905. Pop. (1990) 75,491; (2000) 71,538.

 largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, in Papua New Guinea. It is situated 55 miles (88 km) east of the Huon Peninsula of eastern mainland New Guinea. Measuring about 370 miles (600 km) long by 50 miles (80 km) at its widest, the crescent-shaped island has a 1,000-mile (1,600-km) coastline bordered by reefs. From narrow coastal plains it rises to a rugged central mountain spine composed of the Whiteman, Nakanai, and Baining ranges, with several peaks exceeding 7,000 feet (2,100 metres). The island has an equatorial climate. There are three areas of active volcanism: in the extreme west, on the north coast bordering Open and Kimbe bays, and in the northeast on the Gazelle Peninsula near Rabaul, where nearby craters such as Mount Tavurvur and Vulcan Crater present a constant threat to that town, which was formerly the largest settlement on the island. An eruption in 1937 killed 263 people. A 1994 eruption caused Rabaul's entire population to be evacuated, and the town was buried under volcanic ash; although structural damage was repaired, only a small proportion of the evacuated residents had returned by the early 21st century.

      New Britain was sighted in 1616 by the Dutch navigator Jakob Le Maire, who believed it was part of a landmass including New Guinea and New Ireland. His theory was disproved (1699–1700) by the Englishman William Dampier (Dampier, William), who named the island, and Philip Carteret, who found St. George's Channel (east) in 1767. As Neu-Pommern (New Pomerania), the island became part of a German protectorate in 1884. It was mandated to Australia following World War I, taken by the Japanese in 1942, and reoccupied in 1945. It subsequently formed part of the UN Trust Territory of New Guinea and was administered by Australia. It became part of Papua New Guinea in 1975 when that nation attained independence.

      The most developed and populous area of the island is the Gazelle Peninsula in the northeast, where, on the rich coastal plains, copra and cocoa are produced on commercial plantations and small plots. These same crops (as well as oil palms) are raised at other points along the coast and shipped from smaller harbours such as Talasea in the northwest. A feature of this development was the success of local cooperative societies. A variety of other crops are grown in village gardens for local consumption. In the interior a system of shifting cultivation is practiced, involving a rotation of plots used only at long intervals. Other island resources are timber, copper, gold, iron, and coal. Area 14,100 square miles (36,500 square km). Pop. (2000) 404,641.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • New Britain — New Britain, CT U.S. city in Connecticut Population (2000): 71538 Housing Units (2000): 31164 Land area (2000): 13.336649 sq. miles (34.541760 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.068230 sq. miles (0.176714 sq. km) Total area (2000): 13.404879 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • New Britain — ist eine zu Papua Neuguinea gehörende Insel, siehe Neubritannien der Name zweier Orte in den USA: New Britain (Connecticut) New Britain (Pennsylvania) die Melodie, zu der üblicherweise Amazing Grace gesungen wird …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • New Britain — puede referirse a: New Britain (Connecticut) New Britain (Pensilvania) Esta página de desambiguación cataloga artículos relacionados con el mismo título. Si llegaste aquí a través de …   Wikipedia Español

  • New Britain —   [njuː brɪtn], Neubritạnni|en, vor 1919 Neupọmmern, größte Insel des Bismarckarchipels, Papua Neuguinea, 36 500 km2, 311 900 Einwohner (mit umliegenden Inseln: Vitu Islands und Duke of York Islands). Die lang gestreckte Insel wird von einem… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • New Britain, CT — U.S. city in Connecticut Population (2000): 71538 Housing Units (2000): 31164 Land area (2000): 13.336649 sq. miles (34.541760 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.068230 sq. miles (0.176714 sq. km) Total area (2000): 13.404879 sq. miles (34.718474 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • New Britain, PA — U.S. borough in Pennsylvania Population (2000): 3125 Housing Units (2000): 930 Land area (2000): 1.273391 sq. miles (3.298068 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.273391 sq. miles (3.298068 sq. km)… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • New Britain — 1. largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago, east of New Guinea: 14,100 sq mi (36,519 sq km); pop. (with small nearby islands) 264,000 2. city in central Conn.: pop. 72,000 …   English World dictionary

  • New Britain — (spr. Njuh Brittän), 1) so v.w. Neu Britannien; 2) der officielle Name für Labrador; 3) Postort in der Grafschaft Hartford im Staate Connecticut (Nordamerika), an der Hartford Providence Fishkill Eisenbahn, Sitz der Staats Normalschule (1849… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • New Britain — (spr. njū brittĕn), Stadt in der Grafschaft Hartford des nordamerikan. Staates Connecticut, mit Zeughaus, Lehrerseminar, sehr bedeutender Kurzwarenfabrikation (1900: 4114 Arbeiter und für 5,796,636 Doll. Waren) und (1900) 25,998 Einw. Die Stadt… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • New Britain — (spr. njuh brittĭn), Stadt im nordamerik. Staate Connecticut, (1900) 25.998 E …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • New Britain — This article is about the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. For other uses of the name, see New Britain (disambiguation). New Britain New Britain from space, June 2005. Clearly visible are ash plumes from Langila and Ulawun volcanoes …   Wikipedia

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