Consider the following statements regarding Bougainville Island: 1. It is the easternmost main island of Brunei. 2. It holds significant world reserves of copper and gold at Panguna open-cast mine. 3. It currently functions as an autonomous region. Which of the statements given above are correct? |ForumIAS

[A] 1 and 2 only

[B] 2 and 3 only

[C] 1 and 3 only

[D] 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

Notes:

Detailed Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Bougainville is the largest island in the Solomon Islands archipelago geographically, but politically forms the easternmost territory of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the Solomon Sea.
Statement 2 is correct: The island contains the massive Panguna mine, which was once one of the world’s largest open-pit copper and gold mines and a major driver of PNG’s national economy prior to its closure due to civil conflict.
Statement 3 is correct: Bougainville currently holds autonomous status within PNG. In 2019, an official non-binding referendum was held where over 97% of voters chose full independence from Papua New Guinea.