River · Papua New Guinea
Sepik
The Sepik is the longest river of Papua New Guinea. It runs from the central mountains through swampy lowlands and empties into the Bismarck Sea, east of the coastal town of Wewak.
Picture credit: Top1963 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · David Bacon (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Sepik?
The river starts here: central highlands of Papua New Guinea.
It ends in the Bismarck Sea, east of Wewak.
Countries on the river: Papua New Guinea.
The story behind it
The Sepik has almost no dams, bridges or big cities along its course, which is rare for such a long river. It swings through swamps and grassy plains where floating islands of plants drift downstream. Crocodiles are the most famous animals here, and in many villages boys are welcomed into adult life in ceremonies that honour the crocodile. Houses stand on high posts, and families keep a canoe tied to the ladder the way others keep a bicycle at the door. In the wet season whole plains vanish under water and children paddle to school. Villages are known for carved masks and canoe prows sold far beyond the region. Measurements of the river differ from book to book, because the swampy course shifts again and again and is hard to map exactly.
Questions children ask
How long is the Sepik?
Around 1 126 km. Different sources give slightly different numbers, because the river keeps changing its bed in the swamps and is hard to measure.
Which countries does the Sepik flow through?
It flows through Papua New Guinea. The river crosses the northern part of the country from the highlands to the coast.
Where does the Sepik flow into?
Into the Bismarck Sea, east of Wewak. Its brown water can still be seen far out at sea after heavy rains.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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