Port Moresby — known locally as Pom City — is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea, situated on the shores of the Gulf of Papua on the south-western coast of the Papuan Peninsula. According to the 2024 census, the city's population had grown to approximately 756,754, making it one of the largest urban centers in the southwestern Pacific outside of Australia and New Zealand. The city sits within the National Capital District, a territory distinct from the surrounding Central Province, and is home to the traditional Motu-Koitabu people, who have inhabited the area for centuries. Visitors today encounter a dense, energetic city where modern government buildings — including the distinctive National Parliament House, which fuses contemporary architecture with traditional tribal spirit-house design — coexist with gang-controlled neighborhoods and a well-documented reputation for street crime. Gates used Port Moresby as his entry point and staging ground in Expedition Unknown's series premiere, investigating the theory that Amelia Earhart crash-landed somewhere in Papua New Guinea after her disappearance in July 1937.
The Motu-Koitabu people inhabit the area around what will become Port Moresby for generations before European contact.
Royal Navy Captain John Moresby becomes the first Briton to sight the harbour; the city is later named in honour of his father, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby.
Port Moresby emerges as a regional trade centre in the second half of the 19th century.
The city becomes a prime strategic objective for Imperial Japanese forces seeking a staging point and air base to cut off Australia from Southeast Asia and the Americas; Allied forces successfully defend it.
Gates investigates Port Moresby as his base of operations in Expedition Unknown S01E01, examining the theory that Amelia Earhart disappeared over Papua New Guinea.
Port Moresby's strategic importance during World War II is well-documented by historians. According to Wikipedia, it was a prime objective for Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43, who sought to capture it as a staging point and air base that could effectively cut off Australia from Southeast Asia and the Americas. The successful Allied defense of the city — including the brutal Kokoda Track campaign fought in the mountains to the north — is considered a turning point in the Pacific theater, though Gates' episode focuses on the pre-war era of the 1930s rather than on this chapter of the city's history.
The cultural landscape Gates briefly captures on camera reflects a genuinely remarkable degree of diversity. Papua New Guinea as a nation encompasses more than 800 distinct languages and around 1,000 ethnic groups — a density of human cultural variation that is extraordinary by any measure. The Asaro Mudmen tradition Gates encounters is a vivid example of how ancient clan identity remains very much alive in contemporary PNG. Locals, as Gates observes, are often more likely to identify with their clan than with a national identity, a dynamic that anthropologists studying Melanesian societies have long noted.
The city itself was founded near land long inhabited by the Motu-Koitabu people, who are today formally represented by the Motu Koita Assembly. Port Moresby functions as a primate city within Papua New Guinea — meaning it holds a population and economic influence disproportionately large compared to other cities in the country — a pattern common across developing-world capital cities. Its National Parliament House, which Gates mentions, is a widely cited example of postcolonial architectural symbolism, blending modern governmental design with the aesthetic of a traditional haus tambaran, or spirit house.
For the purposes of Gates' investigation, Port Moresby matters primarily as a jumping-off point: Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan stopped at Lae, roughly 300 kilometers to the north, as their final confirmed landing before disappearing on July 2, 1937. Whether Earhart came down somewhere over or near Papua New Guinea remains one of aviation history's most debated open questions, and the episode makes no definitive claim — Gates frames Port Moresby as a gateway to that search, not the answer to it.
Port Moresby was named in honour of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby — it was his son, Royal Navy Captain John Moresby, who first sighted the harbour for Britain in 1873.
Papua New Guinea as a nation contains more than 800 distinct languages, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries on Earth.
Port Moresby hosted the APEC summit in November 2018, though the event drew international attention partly because of security concerns related to the city's reputation for violent crime.
The city's population grew from approximately 364,145 at the 2011 census to around 756,754 at the 2024 census, reflecting rapid urbanization.
Port Moresby is accessible via Jacksons International Airport, which receives international flights from Australia and several Pacific hubs. Visitors are generally advised to arrange guided tours or connect with reputable local operators rather than explore independently, as some neighborhoods carry genuine security risks — a reality Gates himself addresses on camera. The National Parliament House and cultural sites such as the National Museum and Art Gallery are among the more straightforward attractions to visit with appropriate guidance.
Port Moresby is itself the nearest major city; the next significant urban center within Papua New Guinea is Lae, approximately 300 kilometers to the north by air.
The dry season, roughly from May through October, is generally considered the most comfortable time to visit Port Moresby, with lower humidity and reduced rainfall. The wet season (November through April) brings heavy rains that can complicate both travel logistics and road conditions.
Australian Outback
The Australian Outback connects to the same Expedition Unknown Earhart investigation, as Australia and its surrounding region formed the broader search area for Earhart's disappearance.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean and surrounding Pacific waters are central to ongoing theories about where Earhart's Electra came down after departing Lae, making it thematically linked to this episode's mystery.
Dyatlov Pass
Dyatlov Pass, like the Earhart disappearance, represents one of history's most debated unsolved vanishings — a recurring theme across Gates' investigations into people who disappeared without definitive explanation.
Historical data sourced from Wikipedia