NEW GUINEA AND THE PAPUANS 
377 
and Arafura seas, thus forming a barrier between the 
Malay Islands and the Pacific. 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 south of the 
equator, extending between 0° 19 / and 10° 42 7 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, which 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, Collingwood Bay, and Goodenougli Bay, on 
the north; Milne Bay at the south-eastern extremity; 
Orangerie Bay, Port Moresby, Eedscar Bay, Hall Sound, and 
the estuary of the Fly Eiver to the east of Torres Straits ; 
with Triton Bay, Kamrau or Arguna Bay, Patippi Bay, and 
Segaar Bay on the west coast of the northern peninsula. 
There are also numerous islands, all round the coast, 
