Abstract
The Purari catchment, of 33 670 km2, occupies a considerable portion of the central and southern part of mainland Papua New Guinea (Fig. 1). It lies between the Kikori and Vailala rivers, and its headwaters comprise the basins of the Erave, Kaugel, Wahgi, Asaro and Aure rivers. The main divide between the north and south flowing rivers of the New Guinea island runs along the Hagen Range, the Sepik-Wahgi Divide, and the Bismarck Range. These three mountain ranges form part of the watershed of the Purari catchment (Fig. 1). Mount Wilhelm (4510 m), on the Bismarck Range, is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea, while Mount Giluwe (4367 m), the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea, lies within the Purari catchment.
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© 1983 Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague
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Pain, C.F. (1983). Introduction to the Purari River catchment. In: Petr, T. (eds) The Purari — tropical environment of a high rainfall river basin. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 51. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7263-6_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7263-6_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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