pop (2000e) 25 000; area 1550 km²/600 sq mi. Mountainous island group in Papua New Guinea, SE of New Guinea; comprises the islands of Tacuta, Rossel, and Misima, with numerous other small islands and coral reefs; named in 1768 after Louis XIV of France; gold has been worked on Tacuta.
The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten volcanic islands and coral reefs located just southeast of Papua New Guinea, between the Solomon Sea to the north and the Coral Sea to the south. Sideia and Basilaki islands lie closest to New Guinea, while Misima, Vanatinai (called Sudest or Tagula as named by European claimants on Western maps) , and Rossel islands lie further east.
Louisiade Archipelago rain forests
The islands have a moist tropical climate, and are largely covered with tropical moist broadleaf forests. The Louisiade Archipelago rain forests form a distinct ecoregion, and are home to a number of endemic species, including several endemic trees (in genera Pandanus, Diospyros, and Hopea), as well as five endemic frog species, two endemic lizard species, and five endemic bird species.
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