NEW GUINEA AND THE PAPUANS 377 



and Arafiira seas, thus forming a Laniur between tlie 

 Malay Islands and the Tacific. Directly to the south 

 lies the continent of Australia, separated from it by the 

 shallow waters of Torres Strait, which is only 80 geo- 

 graphical miles wide. It lies wholly to the soutli of the 

 equator, extending between 0° 19' and 10° 42' south 

 latitude, and between 130° 57' and 150° 52' east longi- 

 tude. Its extreme length, according to present knowledge, 

 is 1490 miles, and its greatest breadth about 410 miles. 

 Its area is about 300,000 statute miles, so that it is very 

 considerably larger than Borneo, wliich has generally been 

 thought to exceed it, and undoubtedly holds the first 

 place among the islands of the globe. The form of New 

 Guinea is very irregular, but it has a large compact 

 central mass, with great prolongations at both extremities. 

 Its extensive north-western peninsula, formed by the 

 deep inlet of Great Geelvink Bay on the north, is again 

 almost cut into two portions by the deep and narrow 

 MacCluer's Inlet on the west coast. The western 

 extremity terminates in English Cape, near the large 

 island of Salwatti. The southern extension is somewhat 

 more elongated, and bifurcates to form Milne Bay, the 

 terminal promontory being East Cape. Generally the 

 outline is tolerably even, but there are a good many 

 inlets, bays, and harbours in various parts of its extensive 

 coasts. The best known are Dorei Harbour, Humboldt 

 Bay, Astrolabe Bay, Finschhafen, Huon Gulf, Dyke 

 Acland Bay, CoUingwood Bay, and Goodenough Bay, on 

 the north ; Milne Bay at the south-eastern extremity ; 

 Orangerie Bay, Port Moresby, Redscar Bay, Hall Sound, and 

 the estuary of the Fly Paver to the east of Torres Straits ; 

 Avith Triton Bay, Kamrau or Arguna Bay, Patippi Bay, and 

 Segaar Bay on the west coast of the northern peninsiila. 

 There are also numerous islands aU round the coast, 



