Rhonda Arnold, age 16, of Laconia, N.H., for her question:

WHERE IS THE LOUISIADE ARCHIPELAGO?

The Louisiade Archipelago is an island group about 100 miles southeast of New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are part of the country of Papua New Guinea and they scatter over an area 60 miles wide and 160 miles long.

Only about 15,000 people live on the islands that have an area of just 690 square miles. The largest islands are Nisima, Tagula, Joannet and Rossell. Coral reefs form lagoons off the shores of the islands.

The archipelago's name honors a French navigator named Louis de Bougainville, who explored it in 1768 while making a voyage around the world. He found the waters around the island a region of strong currents and rough seas, and for many years ships sailed around the islands rather than trying to find a passage through them.

After 1860, copra attracted traders from Australia. Later, many laborers were recruited in the islands to work on plantations in Australia.

The islanders also grow coconuts and rubber, sometimes on plantations that belong to foreign owners. Gold is mined on several of the islands.