The New Guinea Islands Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), comprising the Bismarck Archipelago and north-western Solomon Islands Archipelago, located north-east of New Guinea island (the mainland). This is the least populous inhabited region of the country with an estimated population of 1,096,000 (15% of PNG) in 2011. It is distinct through its prehistory and history, as shown by the prevalence of Austronesian languages, and archeological findings of Lapita pottery culture.