Information About Papua New Guinea

History of Papua New Guinea

The first inhabitants were Papuan, Melanesian and Negrito tribes. The territory was discovered by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in 16th century. Different areas were taken over by different nations like the dutch, Germany, Australia, Japan until it became a United nations trusteeship, administered by Australia. In 1975, Papua New Guinea achieved complete independence from Britain. In 17th july, 1998, an earthquake in the north coast of Papua New Guinea killed at least 1500 people and left thousand more injured and homeless. Tension was being built in who should be the prime minister. Later elections were conducted and Peter O' Neill was sworn as PM on 3rd August, 2012.

Geography of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of tropical island of New Guinea as well as numerous smaller islands in Pacific. The central part rises into a wide ridge of mountains known as the Highlands which are so densely forested that the local people remain isolated from each other. The coastline has spectacular coral reefs, good for scuba diving. The smaller island groups include Bismarck, Archipelago, New Britain, New Ireland and the north solomans. Some of these islands are volcanic, with mountain ranges, and all are relatively undeveloped.
Nearly 85% of island is covered with rain forest, with Asian and Australian type vegetation.

Climate of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea's climate is tropical. In coastal plains the temperature is high while in the mountainous regions it is cooler. There is dry season (June- Sept) and a rainy season (December-March). Western and northern parts have heavy rainfall. Typhoons can hit Papua New Guinea from December to mid march and can cause heavy damage, flooding and erosion. The area's relative humidity is quite high.

Natural Resources in Papua New Guinea

The natural resources are gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil fisheries.

Tourist Attraction in Papua New Guinea

Famous cities are lae, Madang, Wawek, Port Moresby(Capital), Kavieng, Kakoda, Arawa, Samarai, Popondetta etc. Famous tourist attractions of Papua New Guinea are Bomana war cemetery, Port Moresby Nature park, Kitava island, Mount Wilhelm, National parliament house (Port Moresby) National orchid garden, Adventure park, Kakops war museum, Mount Hagen market, Doini Island skull cave, Rouna falls, saint Mary's catholic cathedral, Rainforest habitat (Lae), Mendi river, Tufi Wharf (Madang).

Famous Hotels in Papua New Guinea

Airways hotel, Tufi dive resort, Grand Papua hotel, In Wewak Boutique hotel, Madang resort hotel, Rabaul hotel, pacific gardens hotel, Shady Rest hotel, Gazelle International hotel, Ela Beach hotel, Lamana hotel, Bird of paradise hotel, Alotau international hotel.

Papua New Guinea Cuisine

Due to its moderate tropical climate, Papua New Guinea is heavy on exotic fruits like avocado, papaya, mangoes, bananas. There are usually light meals. Staple food is rice, sago, and Kau Kau(sweet potato). Dishes are cooked in under covered oven called Mumu. Food is rich in fish, vegetables and fruit such as pawpaw, pineapples etc. There is also seafood, chicken, pork and greens. Traditional dishes like Mumu(named after the oven)are well cooked. There are delicious sauces. Fresh Barramundi Cod is cooked in wrapping of banana leaves, roasted chestnuts and incredibly delicious fruits.

Papua New Guinea Culture

In Papua New Guinea, over 700 different languages are spoken.,with a population of around 5 million people. It is a land of traditional people dependent on subsistence farming. Women are responsible for day to day work as gardening and caring for young children.
There is much diversity. For the huli tribe colourful clay is used for body decoration. In contrast the young men of Sepik region undergo painful skin cutting on their backs. This is symbol of strength and power for them to resemble the worshipped water spirit (crocodiles). There is much singing and dancing collectively. There are games played at Papua New Guinea. Among traditional games, there is Battendi, a game of spear throwing. Now tennis balls have replaced spears. There is a game called Bubberah played with a bommerang. The Goombooboo dedo is a wrestling game involving two families with greases on their bodies. Among modern games, rugby is very popular.
Among festivals, there is Mount Hagenshow. It takes place every july and there is singing, dancing and colourful atmosphere. Other festivals are Tumbuan mask festival, Enga cultural show, Goroka show, Morobe Province agricultural show and Papau New Guinea arts and cultural festival.

International Airports in Papua New Guinea

Famous airports are Jacksons International airport, Rabaul airport, Lae Nadzab airport, Hoskins airport, Momote airport, Girua airport, Buka island airport, Lihir island airport, Vanimo airport, Daru airport.