POPONDETTA

town, eastern Papua New Guinea. The town, on a tributary of the Girua River, was a U.S. air base during World War II; the airfield now allows regular air service. In addition, Popondetta is the focus of a road network 300 miles (500 km) long, extending from the port of Oro Bay to Kokoda, in the Owen Stanley Range of the central highlands. The area produces cocoa, coffee, rubber, and palm oil. There is some tourism centred on the nearby peaks, one of which, Mount Lamington (20 miles south), erupted in 1951, killing 3,000 persons and destroying the town of Higaturu. Popondetta has a high school, vocational institute, and agricultural college. Pop. (1985 est.) 7,500.