KIRIWINA ISLANDS

also called Trobriand Islands, coral formations in the Solomon Sea of the southwestern Pacific, Papua New Guinea, 90 miles (145 km) north of the southeasternmost extension of the island of New Guinea. The low-lying group, all of coralline limestone and many fringed by coral reefs, comprises four larger islands, Kiriwina (Trobriand), Kaileuna, Vakuta, and Kitava, and several islets, with a total land area of about 170 square miles (440 square km). The largest, Kiriwina, is a raised atoll 30 miles (48 km) by 310 miles (516 km). Covered largely with swamp, it rises to 100 feet (30 m) at a central ridge. The island, the chief settlement of which is Losuia, was made an air and naval base for the Allies in 1943. Yams are produced in drier areas of the Kiriwinas for export to plantations on other islands. See also Trobriander. Pop. (1980 prelim.) 17,425.