The New International Encyclopædia/Louisiade Archipelago

LOUISIADE (lo͞o-ē′zē̇-äd′) ARCHIPELAGO. A group of islands in Oceanica, situated at the southeastern extremity of British New Guinea, to which it belongs (Map: Australasia, H 4). It consists of three large islands—Saint Aignan, Southeast Island, and Rossel, each with an area of from 100 to 300 square miles—and numerous small islets and reefs. The large islands are mountainous, having peaks which rise to a height of over 3000 feet, while the islets are chiefly of coral formation. The group is inhabited by savages of Papuan race. The islands were discovered by Torres in 1606, and taken by the British in 1888.