Tabubil is a town located in the Star Mountains area of the North Fly District of Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

[5] During the early years of colonisation of New Guinea it was unknown how many people, if any, lived in this remote, impassable and inhospitable terrain.

[6] It is thought the Min were pushed north hundreds or even thousands of years ago by war with the southern Gogodala peoples, who were a warrior nation that currently reside on the plains of the central Fly area of the Western Province.

It was not until 1943 that United States Army Air Forces gliders landed in the Star Mountains to establish an airstrip station in what is now Telefomin, about 25 km north-east of Tabubil.

This is the first permanent colonial influence on the Min people, who at the time were cannibals involved in a tribal war.

Soon after the arrival of the Americans, the Telefolmin tribe experienced a cessation of hostilities with its neighbours, the Falamin and the Tifalmin due to mutually agreeable conditions that emerged from the construction and introduction of western goods and services.

[6][7] Tabubil, originally a small camp surrounding an airstrip, was set up as a base of operations for drilling sites by the Kennecott Copper Corporation.

BHP has built the majority of the town, with structures placed by other companies and the national government making up a small percentage of the total buildings.

[citation needed] Tabubil is host to a diverse range of cultures, due to its workforce historically being sourced from many parts of PNG, Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

[citation needed] Elections are extremely important to local residents, often inciting riots, tribal conflict, and other forms of civil disobedience.

The Mission Aviation Fellowship has a presence in Tabubil Airport and the YMCA and YWCA hold a strong influence over the town culture and commerce.

There is, however, a wide selection of cable TV stations available from Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, PNG, and the USA.

[13] Tabubil has a tropical rainforest climate more subject to the Intertropical Convergence Zone than the trade winds and with no cyclones therefore equatorial.

Many people think the houses are on stilts due to the possibility of flooding, but they mostly provide protection from the many earthquakes in the area.

Most residents, especially on the escarpment side of town, have large ravines in their backyards which can fill up to a depth of two metres during especially wet periods, and pose a safety hazard.

The area around Tabubil is known for moths that grow to the size of dinner plates, bird-eating spiders and many other unique creatures.

Tabubil is the base of operations for the Ok Tedi Copper Mine, the largest economic entity in the Western Province.

This commercial district is based around a town square plan, and was host to the first ATMs, EFTPOS machines and public telephones in western Papua New Guinea.

Tabubil itself is situated amongst dense jungle on a plateau, beside a steep escarpment leading down to the Ok Tedi River in the Star Mountains of Papua New Guinea.

Tabubil has an international airport[14] (IATA code TBG) with a 1280-metre (4200 ft)[17] dirt and gravel airstrip.

Slurry of copper concentrate from the mine is sent to the river port along a 137 km[2] pipeline which runs parallel to this highway.

Except in cases of severe drought, most supplies to the mine are delivered by barge along the Fly River, which can be accessed by a port in Kiunga on the southern terminus of the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway.