Officially named as the 'Independent State of Papua', Papua New Guinea is a country located at the eastern side of New Guinea. It is situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Papua New Guinea is quite diverse in cultural and linguistic aspects and is also one of the least explored countries of the world. Papua New Guinea has strong ties with its southern neighbor, Australia, which administered the territory, until Papua gained its independence in 1975. Explore some of the interesting and fun facts about Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea, certainly one of the last great areas of land on Earth to remain partially unexplored; this remarkable remote landscape still remains a place of great wonder and deep mystery.
Exotic birds, plant life and rare animals, unique extraordinary art and languages and colorful warriors await the curious and intrepid traveler.
Lost worlds, whether they be imaginary prehistoric islands in the thick mist that time simply forgot or more plausibly the last few remaining unexplored parts of the planet have always held mystique with adventure travelers.
Interesting & Fun Facts about Papua New Guinea:
1. The island of New Guinea was named after the country of Guinea in Africa.
2. Papua New Guinea consists of the eastern half of the island of New Guinea – the islands of New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville and around six hundred smaller islands, north of Australia.
3. The island of New Guinea is shared with Indonesia (Papua, former Irian Jaya).
4. New Guinea is one of the largest islands in the world.
5. The Kuk Early Agricultural Site, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008, consists of swamps in the highlands of New Guinea. It has been discovered that the land has been drained, possibly for as long as ten thousand years. Evidence of agriculture dates back to six and a half thousand years ago.
6. Papua New Guinea is one of, if not the most, heterogeneous nations in the world. There are hundreds of ethnic groups indigenous to Papua New Guinea.
7. Papua New Guinea has a greater density of languages than any other nation on earth, except Vanuatu. It has over 850 indigenous languages and at least as many traditional societies, out of a population of just under 6 million.
8. Papua New Guinea has only 18 per cent of its people living in urban centres.
9. Papua New Guinea is also one of the least explored countries of the world, culturally and geographically. Many undiscovered species of plants and animals are thought to exist in its interiors.
10. Portuguese navigators are said to be the first Europeans to have sighted the island of New Guinea.
11. In 1971, the Territory of Papua and New Guinea was renamed Papua New Guinea.
12. Papua New Guinea gained full independence from Australia in September 1975.
13. The Independent State of Papua New Guinea became a member of the Commonwealth in 1975.
14. The monarch of the United Kingdom serves as the Head of State of Papua New Guinea.
15. The highest point in the Independent State of Papua New Guinea is Mount Wilhelm (4,509 m).
16. The national sport of Papua New Guinea, although not official, is considered to be rugby league.
17. Papua New Guinea is one of the few regions close to the equator that experience snowfall, which occurs in the most elevated parts of the mainland.
18. Papua New Guinea is fantastic for birdlife with the famous birds of paradise and 750 different species to look out for. There are tree kangaroos, wallabies but no other real mammals.
19 .War History: with the Pacific War (part of WWII) in 1942 is where the Japanese army suffered their first land defeat. Papua New Guinea offers fantastic snorkelling and diving opportunities almost anywhere off the mainland with boat and plane wrecks from the war, abundant fish and amazing coral.
20 .Tourism in Papua New Guinea is still in its infancy, so transportation, accommodation and tourism is relatively underdeveloped compared to western countries. The area has an extremely wide variety of cultures so it is important to be sensitive to the traditions and customs.
Why Visit Papua New Guinea:
The country is one of the world’s least explored, culturally and geographically, part of Oceania and once a territory of Australia before 1975. Papua New Guinea is now its own land, although it remains part of the Commonwealth and is one of the last bastions of exploratory adventure for curious explorers.
New Guinea is particularly famous for the many undiscovered species of plants, insects, birds and animals that are thought to exist in the jungle interior of Papua New Guinea.
Nature and animal lovers should note how scientific expeditions to the remote jungles are frequently revealing remarkable new species of wild life each and every year; proof that for now our world still has some well kept secrets that remain undiscovered. Although we don’t believe that there are any prehistoric dinosaurs left, sorry!
As a global traveler, if lost temples, isolated jungles, exotic species and appreciating the rich culture of the Papua New Guinea people stirs the emotions and wander lust then this could be just the place to journey to.
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