The Ramu River is a major river in northern Papua New Guinea. The headwaters of the river are formed in the Kratke Range from where it then travels about northwest to the Bismarck Sea.
Along the Ramu's course, it receives numerous tributaries from the Bismarck Range to the south and the Finisterre and Adelbert.
History
For many millennia, people have lived along the river, and the river has formed the basis for food, transport, and culture.
German exploration
The area encompassed by the Ramu was part of Kaiser-Wilhelmsland when Germany established German New Guinea in 1884. The Germans were quick to explore their territory, and the mouth of the Ramu was discovered in 1886 by Vice-Admiral Freiherr von Schleinitz after returning to Finschhafen from an expedition to the nearby Sepik. Schleinitz called the Ramu, Ottilien after his ship the Ottilie. After crossing the Ortzen Mountains from Astrolabe Bay south of Madang, Lauterbach's party, instead of finding the Markham, found an unknown river flowing northwest. The party canoed along a section before their supplies dwindled; they returned to the coast retracing their route.
After five days of journey up the Ramu, Tappenbeck left his companions at a well-stocked camp when river water levels fell. He returned four and half months later in another steamer, Herzogin Elisabeth, and the party managed to navigate upstream and go farther still by canoe. Dr R. Schlecter led another expedition in 1902 in search of gutta-percha trees.
During the Second World War in 1942, the Japanese annexed the entire Territory of New Guinea from the Australians. Intense fighting occurred between the Imperial Japanese Army and the Australian and US Armies to recapture New Guinea. During the Finisterre Range campaign in 1943 and 1944, the Ramu Valley became the scene of a major battle.
Hydroelectric plant
The Ramu flows into Yonki Dam, where it feeds the Ramu 1 power station.
A hydroelectric plant was under construction on the toe of the Yonki Dam, however, construction is currently (May 2011) suspended.
Image gallery
<gallery>
File:Papua New Guinea river Ramu.png|The last 300 or so kilometres of the Ramu as it winds towards the Bismarck
File:Sepik-sediment-new.png|Ramu and Sepik sediment plumes
</gallery>