Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, a town and port on the northeastern end of New Britain Island, in the Bismarck Archipelago. It is surrounded by active volcanoes, and was nearly destroyed by eruptions in 1937 and again in 1994. Rabaul was the key Japanese base in the South Pacific during World War II. The Allies encircled the base and cut off its 100,000-man garrison in an 18-month campaign ending in the spring of 1944.
Population: 17,022.
