Oro Province

Introducing Oro Province

Oro Province (often called Northern Province) is sandwiched between the Solomon Sea and the Owen Stanley Range. It’s physically beautiful but an uninspiring capital and poor transport connections mean few travellers make it.

Oro Province is the home of the world’s largest butterfly, the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing. You might think that you’ve seen some big butterflies in PNG, but these are monsters, with wingspans of nearly 30cm. The first specimen collected by a European was brought down by a shotgun! That butterfly, a little damaged, is still in the British Museum. The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing is now a threatened species. It lays its eggs on a particular species of vine which is poisonous to most birds and animals; the butterfly is poisonous as well.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009