Jimi Valley

rdf:langString Jimi Valley

rdf:langString Jimi is a geographical area in the inlands of Papua New Guinea. It is located in the Jimi District of Jiwaka, which was previously a part of the Western Highlands Province until May 2012. It is home to the Jimi Valley. The Jimi District is one of the least developed districts in Papua New Guinea, apart from Green River in Sandaun and Rai Coast in Madang. Its geographical location makes it a remote district of the newly-created Jiwaka province. The district is located in the Jimi Valley, which stretches from the northeast corner of Jiwaka and into Madang Province. Jimi District is almost entirely mountainous and is mostly covered with rainforest, although this forest is disappearing quickly due to peanut cultivation. The District Head Quarter is called Tabibuga, originally called "Tapia Poka". The district is further sub-divided into three small sub-districts; Upper Jimi-Kol, Middle Jimi-Tabibuga and Lower Jimi-Koinambe. The district is named after Jim Taylor, who toured it in the early 1950s. There are many different languages spoken in Jimi, with the major ones being Komblaka, Narak and Reai. Komblaka is spoken by people living in the Upper Jimi, bordering with the North Waghi District and towards the Kerowaghi District of the Simbu Province. Narak is spoken by the Middle Jimi people from Ngamba to Kwipun, with some living along the Bismarck Range and towards the western end of the Maikmol Villages. There are some people that speak the Melpa language of the Hagen and these people live along the range towards the western part of the district. Some people towards the Mt. Wilhelm speak the Simbu language, called the Kuman language.