Papua New Guinea (
IPA: ), in
Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in
Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of
New Guinea and numerous offshore islands (the western portion of the island is occupied by the
Indonesian provinces of
Papua and
West Papua). It is located in the southwestern
Pacific Ocean, in a region defined since the early 19th century as
Melanesia. Its capital, and one of its few major cities, is
Port Moresby. It is one of the most diverse countries on Earth, with over 850 indigenous languages and at least as many traditional societies, out of a population of just under 6 million. It is also one of the most rural, with only 18 per cent of its people living in
urban centres. The country is also one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically, and many undiscovered species of plants and animals are thought to exist in the interior of Papua New Guinea.
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Flag of Papua New Guinea
Background
The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
Map of Papua New Guinea
More about Papua New Guinea:
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues