A new country getting added to the list certainly doesn’t happen every day, but it could soon be a reality once the independence of this South Pacific island is finalised.
The island in question is Bougainville, which is around the same size as Hawaii’s main island and is home to around 300,000 people. Along with Buka, the island is geographically part of the Solomon Islands, but is politically separate and is technically part of Papua New Guinea.
The fight for independence has been going since the 1960s, and an unrecognised state of the Republic of the North Solomons briefly existed, but was absorbed into Papua New Guinea when that became independent from Australia.
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There was a civil war between 1988 and 1998 over the Panguna mine, and a peace agreement eventually resulted in the creation of an Autonomous Bougainville government. Then, in 2019, a non-binding independence referendum (one that needs ratification by the Papua New Guinean government) was held, with 98.3 percent of attendees voting for independence.
Approval by the government is yet to be granted, but it’s thought independence could be achieved by the end of 2027, according to the Express.
So, as a travel destination, what has Bougainville got to offer? Well, the island offers paradise-like beaches, many of which are great surfing spots, and Mount Balbi, known locally as Tutue, is a stratovolcano with six craters – an outstanding background for hiking.
Stay tuned for updates on Bougainville’s independence, and have a read of the most beautiful places and the best beaches on the planet.
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