by Lucas Mathusek

Fifteen years ago in Central Africa, South Sudan broke away from Sudan and became the newest country on the globe. For 15 years there have only been 193 United Nations (UN) recognized sovereign nations, and for 15 years the map has not changed until now. In less than a year a new country will be added to that list. Located in the middle of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, there is a small island home to a melting pot of cultures.. Its only a bit bigger than Hawaii’s main island or the entire country of Cyprus. This small little Melanesian island is holding a big secret.

Historians believe that the first people to settle Bougainville arrived from around 26,700-18,000 BC. These people most likely came from early Australians or Papuans, bringing chickens, obsidian tools and dogs. These citizens lived in peace for thousands of years until 1768 when Louis Antoine de Bougainville arrived and named the island after himself.

In 1899, Germany annexed Papua New Guinea and took Bougainville too. However, during the first World War, Germany couldn’t have control of its colonies in Oceania and Africa. This lack of control included Bougainville and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Australia then decided to take the opportunity to take the land from a weakened Germany. 

During World War II, Japan tried to take control of the island but failed after the allies launched the Bougainville Campaign and defeated the Japanese settlers. After World War II,  Bougainville and Papua New Guinea returned to Australia’s control. 

In 1975, Papua New Guinea declared independence and control of Bougainvill.. However, the people of Bougainville did not appreciate this deciwion as their culture and lifestyles aligned more with the Solomon Islands which are just to the south east. 

In the same year, they declared to be their own country called the Republic of the North Solomons. Papua New Guinea ignored it because the island was important to their economy. The Panguna Mine was the main money maker of PN. It’s a mine on Bougainville that has huge copper and gold reserves, and, at one point, this mine made up 45% of all of Papua New Guinea’s economy. However, there was a problem for the people of Bougainville as they weren’t getting any of the funds from their own miners. 

The Papuan government decided to send thousands of migrant workers from the mainland to work in the mine. This is when the locals decided that it was time to do something. Bougainville did not want these new workers because of cultural differences and being a burden on the economy. In 1988, they finally had enough then riots broke out in the mine. One thing leads to another and the conflict becomes to much to just put down. After ten years of fighting, Papua New Guinea decided to let Bougainville’s independence take place from around 2025-2027. 

So what’s next for Bougainville? What would be the impact that Bougainville gives to the world when it becomes independent? It is not even known if the citizens will keep the name of Bougainville. The world can expect for the island to at least have a good economy due to the Panguna Mine and good relations with other nations in the region. They will most likely sign up for the same organizations that they were already a part of, like the Melanesian Spearhead Group and the Pacific Islands Forum. The country could become a big tourism market for places like Australia and China because of its natural beauty and beaches.