Central Province

Central Provincial Flag

Administration
Provincial headquarters: Port Moresby
Number of districts: 4 - Abau, Goilala, Kairuku-
Hiri, Rigo
Number of LLGs: 13
Number of wards: 205

Central Province occupies the southern side of the OwenStanley Ranges and the area of coast from Bereina in the north to Gaire Village in the south.

The provincial member is Mr. Alphonse Moroi, of the Rural Development Party. This is his second term.People living near Bereina can earn a high income from the sale of food and betel nut, while those in reasonable proximity to Port Moresby can earn moderate incomes selling food and other goods at markets. People in the more remote areas of Goilala and Abau have low potential environments and earn low incomes. Many people commute to earn non-agricultural wage incomes in and around Port Moresby. A road runs along the length of the province, and areas around Port Moresby are also well served by roads. Another road leads up to the Sogeri Plateau and the start of the Kokoda
Track. However, Goilala district and the east of Abau district have very few roads.

Education
Type and number of schools
Elementary 375
Community 77
Primary 129
Provincial high 6
Secondary 5
Vocational 3

Health
Number and population per facility
Health centres 29 6344
Aid posts 76 2421
Number and population per officer
Medical officers 0 n/a
Nursing officers 48 3833

Road access
An unsurfaced road leads from Kupiano to Kwikila and from there a sealed road runs to Port Moresby. There are some minor roads in the district, however, water transport is common for travel to Milne Bay and to Port
Moresby

Population
                                     Male  (%)         Female (%)
Total 183983 52.2 47.8
      < 15 years 77376         53.0                   47.0
15-64 years 100896            51.5                   48.5
> 65 years 5711                 52.2                   47.8
Citizen households 29742

Area and population density
Area (km²) 29998
Occupied area (km²) 6890
Population per km² 6.1
Population per km² of occupied area 26.7
Average annual population growth rate
(1980-2000): 2.3

Economic Activity
Top agricultural activities of
citizen households %   engaged  %* engaged for cash
Food crops                    81.3                    9.2
Coconut                       75.7                    16.0
Fishing                         55.4                     12.0
Betel nut                      55.2                      15.2
Livestock                      30.2                      4.8