Vanimo is the capital of Sandaun Province (West Sepik) in north-westernmost Papua New Guinea and of Vanimo-Green River District. It is located on a peninsula close to the border with Indonesia, nearest to Jayapura, the capital city of Papua (province).

Vanimo
Vanimo town from the air
Vanimo town from the air
Vanimo is located in Sandaun Province
Vanimo
Vanimo
Location within Sandaun Province
Vanimo is located in Papua New Guinea
Vanimo
Vanimo
Vanimo (Papua New Guinea)
Coordinates: 2°40′S 141°17′E / 2.667°S 141.283°E / -2.667; 141.283
CountryPapua New Guinea
ProvinceSandaun Province (West Sepik)
LLGVanimo Urban
Elevation
3 m (10 ft)
Population
 (2013)
 • Total
11,863
 • Rank16th
Time zoneUTC+10 (AEST)
Mean max temp30.6 °C (87.1 °F)
Mean min temp28.8 °C (83.8 °F)
Annual rainfall2,797 mm (110.1 in)
ClimateAf
Location1,000 km (620 mi) from Port Moresby

Religion

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Vanimo's Holy Cross Pro-Cathedral is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vanimo.[1] Pope Francis visited the town on 8 September 2024 as part of a tour of South East Asia and Oceania.[2]

Economy and transportation

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Vanimo is a small township with an economy based around the timber industry. Logging company Vanimo Forest Products, which is owned by Malaysian company Rimbunan Hijau, is the chief employer.

There is an airport in Vanimo, Vanimo Airport.

Sports and recreation

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Vanimo is known as a surfing destination. It has a reputation of having the most consistent waves in Papua New Guinea. Surfing season is mid October through to late April.

Vanimo also is a popular destination for foreign workers in Papua/Indonesia who need to leave the country in order to renew their visas. In this case they come over for a day to visit the Indonesian consulate, stay in one of the hotels along the "sundaun-road" and head back to the border 24 hours later.

The boardriders' club at Lido Village were the subject of a report on Australia's Dateline current affairs program.

Climate

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Vanimo has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). It has very warm to hot and wet weather year round. The average annual rainfall is 2,601 mm (102 in).

Climate data for Vanimo
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.6
(87.1)
30.2
(86.4)
30.6
(87.1)
30.9
(87.6)
31.2
(88.2)
31.0
(87.8)
30.7
(87.3)
30.6
(87.1)
30.8
(87.4)
31.4
(88.5)
31.2
(88.2)
30.9
(87.6)
30.8
(87.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.4
(81.3)
27.2
(81.0)
27.4
(81.3)
27.7
(81.9)
27.9
(82.2)
27.6
(81.7)
27.4
(81.3)
27.3
(81.1)
27.4
(81.3)
27.9
(82.2)
27.3
(81.1)
27.7
(81.9)
27.5
(81.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24.3
(75.7)
24.3
(75.7)
24.3
(75.7)
24.5
(76.1)
24.6
(76.3)
24.3
(75.7)
24.1
(75.4)
24.0
(75.2)
24.1
(75.4)
24.4
(75.9)
24.3
(75.7)
24.5
(76.1)
24.3
(75.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 320.8
(12.63)
206.8
(8.14)
265.0
(10.43)
278.2
(10.95)
239.3
(9.42)
216.4
(8.52)
215.0
(8.46)
182.8
(7.20)
128.2
(5.05)
132.8
(5.23)
201.4
(7.93)
214.8
(8.46)
2,601.5
(102.42)
Average rainy days 19 21 20 18 21 16 18 15 19 17 16 20 220
Source: [3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/oceania/2920.htm GCatholic, with Google satellite map
  2. ^ Kuku, Rebecca (8 September 2024). "Pope Francis welcomed to remote Papua New Guinea as he seeks 'to break down distances'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  3. ^ "World Weather Information Service".
 
Vanimo coastline from space