German New Guinea was a colonial territory in the southwestern Pacific, part of the German Empire from 1884 to 1914. It included the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby islands. The territory was primarily focused on economic exploitation, particularly through the cultivation of copra and the establishment of plantations. During World War I, German New Guinea was captured by Australian forces in 1914. Following the war, the League of Nations mandated the territory to Australia, which administered it until the end of World War II. The region's colonial history has had lasting impacts on its cultural and social landscape.