Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea

The creation of the province of Central Irian Jaya was cancelled. Western Irian Jaya had already been created by that time (02/06/2006), but its future is still unclear. On February 7, 2007, it was renamed a province. West Papua(Indon. Papua Barat).

Geography

Western New Guinea is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the north, the Seram Sea in the west, the Arafura Sea in the south, and Papua New Guinea in the east. The area of ​​​​the territory is 421,981 km² - this is 22% of the entire land territory of Indonesia. Most Big city- Port of Jayapura. New Guinea is located south of the equator and is dominated by mountainous terrain. The Maoke Range, which runs from north to south, divides the island in two. Mount Jaya with a height of 5030 m is the highest point in Indonesia. About 75% of the territory is covered with tropical forests, mostly impenetrable.

The climate is predominantly tropical, humid and hot on the coast; the rainy season lasts from December to March, the dry season - from May to October; characterized by minor seasonal temperature fluctuations. The climate is hot and almost everywhere very humid. Summer temperatures fluctuate within +24 ... +32 °C, in winter +24 ... +28 °C. In the mountains, the temperature is lower, in some places there are never-melting snow fields. The rains are very heavy, especially in summer period, the level of precipitation is from 1300 to 5000 mm per year. Western New Guinea boasts Indonesia's longest rivers, such as the Baliem, Mamberamo and Tariku. In the southwest, the rivers have created large mangrove swamps and intertidal forests.

Flora and fauna

Considered a naturalist's paradise, Western New Guinea boasts an astonishing diversity of flora and fauna. The plant world has representatives of mountains, meadows, swamps and bogs, tropical, tidal, deciduous and coniferous forests, in which you can find an infinite number of grasses, club mosses, ferns, moss, vines, flowers and trees. The fauna of the province is also very diverse. A variety of plants form a living carpet here, intertwining with the overhanging rainforest canopy. Freshwater and terrestrial vertebrates are almost indistinguishable from animals found in Australia, including marsupials. In forests and open grassy areas, you can find many varieties of snakes, turtles, anteaters, porcupines, possums, bats and rats (including the world's largest water rats (English)Russian capable of climbing trees), as well as giant lizards, tree-dwelling kangaroos, and quolls. West New Guinea is known for its variety of butterflies and for its many, about seven hundred, unique bird species, including 80 bird-of-paradise species and the huge flightless cassowary. AT coastal waters you can meet sea turtles and sirens.

To the east of Jayapura, on the shores of Humboldt Bay, is the Yotefa Nature Reserve with many beautiful beaches, with the wrecks of several ships once sunk during military operations at sea. From Sorong, it is easy to get to the Raja Empat Island Reserve.

The end of Dutch rule coincided with a campaign of confrontation launched by President Sukarno, who sent over 2,000 Indonesian troops to the province to provoke an anti-Dutch uprising that ended in failure. The western part of New Guinea, which received the new name West Irian, gradually came under the control of the Indonesian government, and the issue of joining the territory to Indonesia was to be decided by a referendum. In 1963, there was the first attempt by the local population to proclaim an independent Republic of West Papua, which was suppressed by force by the Indonesian authorities.

Population

Western New Guinea is the least populated territory of Indonesia, with a population of 3.59 million inhabitants, which gives an average density of 8.64 people. per 1 km². More three quarters population lives in rural areas in small scattered groups. All settlements, as a rule, are located in the coastal zone or in several fertile valleys. Large areas within the island are uninhabited. Between cities, people move by plane or by sea. The main settlements are Jayapura (pop. 150,000), Manokwari, Sorong, Merauke and Biak. Jayapura, the administrative center of the province of Papua and the largest Indonesian city on the island (261 thousand people according to the 2010 census), was founded at one time by the Dutch, who claimed the middle part of the northern coast of New Guinea. In the eastern suburbs of Jayapura is the building of the University of Chend Ravasih. The university houses the Anthropological Museum, which houses a collection of artifacts from the Asmat tribe. The figures and weapons presented here by the masters of this tribe are distinguished by absolute harmony and aesthetic perfection and are highly appreciated by connoisseurs of primitivist art. The Asmat tribe lives on the southern coast of New Guinea. Along the shores of Humboldt Bay, there are settlements of the Sepik tribe, famous for its primitivist painting of tree bark and the manufacture of carved tribal figures.

About 80% of the population speak Papuan and Melanesian languages. Papuans live all over the island, including on the coast, Melanesians live along the coast. Most Papuans live in small clan groups isolated from each other. Of the highland regions, the most extensive and accessible is the Baliem Valley located in its central part - a 72-kilometer stone corridor through which the Baliem River flows. Here, in small villages scattered throughout this wide valley, more than 200 thousand people from the Dani tribes group live. You can only get here by air. Trails and more and more vehicular tracks connect the center of the Wamena Valley with the rest of the villages. In Western New Guinea, there are also places of compact residence of other peoples of Indonesia, including the descendants of Chinese and Dutch settlers. About 300 languages ​​are spoken in Western New Guinea, most of which do not resemble each other. The Indonesian language, along with local dialects, is used as the language of interethnic communication.

Economy

Western New Guinea is the most remote and less developed part of Indonesia. Majority rural population lives on agricultural products, supplemented by hunting and gathering fruits and berries in the forest. The modern economy is concentrated in coastal cities and some cities in the central part and is based on mineral resources. These are the world's largest copper reserves in Tembagapur, and the largest deposits of oil and natural gas(about 40 km southwest of Mount Jai). There are substantial reserves of gold and uranium. There are large stocks of timber and fish. Copper and oil mining, timber processing and fishing have little effect on improving the living standards of the local population. This situation helped separatist organization"Movement for Free Papua" get the support of the local population. This organization has targeted the Tembagapur copper mine and forced the authorities to suspend production several times. After oil was discovered in western New Guinea half a century ago, the port city of Sorong (190,000 inhabitants at the 2010 census) grew up here with hotels and bars, where workers began to come from other parts of Indonesia.

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An excerpt characterizing Western New Guinea

Kutuzov, like all old people, slept little at night. He often dozed off unexpectedly during the day; but at night, without undressing, lying on his bed, for the most part he did not sleep and thought.
And so he lay now on his bed, leaning his heavy, large, mutilated head on his plump arm, and thought, peering into the darkness with one open eye.
Since Benigsen, who corresponded with the sovereign and had the most strength in the headquarters, avoided him, Kutuzov was calmer in the sense that he and his troops would not be forced to again participate in useless offensive operations. The lesson of the Battle of Tarutino and its eve, painfully remembered by Kutuzov, should also have had an effect, he thought.
“They need to understand that we can only lose by being offensive. Patience and time, here are my warriors heroes! thought Kutuzov. He knew not to pick an apple while it was green. It will fall on its own when it is ripe, but if you pick green, you will spoil the apple and the tree, and you will set your teeth on edge. He, as an experienced hunter, knew that the beast was wounded, wounded in the way that the entire Russian force could wound, but mortally or not, this was not yet an elucidated question. Now, from the sendings of Loriston and Berthelemy and from the reports of the partisans, Kutuzov almost knew that he was mortally wounded. But more evidence was needed, it was necessary to wait.
“They want to run to see how they killed him. Wait, you'll see. All maneuvers, all attacks! he thought. - For what? All stand out. There's definitely something fun about fighting. They are like children from whom you will not get any sense, as was the case, because everyone wants to prove how they can fight. Yes, that's not the point now.
And what skillful maneuvers all these offer me! It seems to them that when they invented two or three accidents (he remembered the general plan from St. Petersburg), they invented them all. And they all have no number!
The unresolved question of whether the wound inflicted at Borodino was fatal or not was hanging over Kutuzov's head for a whole month. On the one hand, the French occupied Moscow. On the other hand, Kutuzov undoubtedly felt with all his being that the terrible blow in which he, along with all the Russian people, strained all his strength, should have been mortal. But in any case, evidence was needed, and he had been waiting for them for a month, and the more time passed, the more impatient he became. Lying on his bed in his sleepless nights, he did the very thing that these young generals did, the very thing for which he reproached them. He invented all possible accidents in which this true, already accomplished death of Napoleon would be expressed. He invented these accidents in the same way as young people, but with the only difference that he did not base anything on these assumptions and that he saw them not two or three, but thousands. The more he thought, the more they seemed. He invented all kinds of movements of the Napoleonic army, all or parts of it - towards Petersburg, against him, bypassing it, he invented (which he was most afraid of) and the chance that Napoleon would fight against him with his own weapons, that he would remain in Moscow waiting for him. Kutuzov even imagined the movement of the Napoleonic army back to Medyn and Yukhnov, but one thing he could not foresee was what happened, that insane, convulsive throwing of Napoleon's troops during the first eleven days of his speech from Moscow - throwing, which made possible something that Kutuzov still did not dare to think about then: the complete extermination of the French. Dorokhov's reports about Broussier's division, news from the partisans about the disasters of Napoleon's army, rumors about preparations for a march from Moscow - all confirmed the assumption that the French army was defeated and was about to flee; but these were only assumptions that seemed important to young people, but not to Kutuzov. With his sixty years of experience, he knew how much weight should be attributed to rumors, he knew how capable people who want something are to group all the news so that they seem to confirm what they want, and he knew how in this case they willingly miss everything that contradicts. And the more Kutuzov wanted this, the less he allowed himself to believe it. This question occupied all his mental strength. Everything else was for him only the usual fulfillment of life. Such habitual fulfillment and submission to life were his conversations with the staff, letters to mme Stael, which he wrote from Tarutino, reading novels, distributing awards, correspondence with St. Petersburg, etc. But the destruction of the French, foreseen by him alone, was his spiritual, only desire.
On the night of October 11, he lay leaning on his arm and thinking about it.
There was a stir in the next room, and the steps of Tolya, Konovnitsyn and Bolkhovitinov were heard.
- Hey, who's there? Get in, get in! What's new? the field marshal called out to them.
While the footman lit a candle, Tol told the contents of the news.
- Who brought it? - asked Kutuzov with a face that struck Tolya when the candle lit up with his cold severity.
“There can be no doubt, Your Grace.
- Call, call him here!
Kutuzov sat with one leg down from the bed and leaning his big belly on the other, bent leg. He squinted his sighted eye in order to better examine the messenger, as if he wanted to read in his features what interested him.
“Tell me, tell me, my friend,” he said to Bolkhovitinov in his quiet, old voice, closing the shirt that was open on his chest. - Come, come closer. What news did you bring me? BUT? Did Napoleon leave Moscow? Is it really so? BUT?
Bolkhovitinov reported in detail at first everything that he was ordered to.
“Speak, speak quickly, do not torment your soul,” Kutuzov interrupted him.
Bolkhovitinov told everything and fell silent, waiting for the order. Tol began to say something, but Kutuzov interrupted him. He wanted to say something, but suddenly his face narrowed, wrinkled; he, waving his hand at Tolya, turned in the opposite direction, towards the red corner of the hut, blackened by images.
- Lord, my creator! You heeded our prayer ... - he said in a trembling voice, folding his hands. - Saved Russia. Thank you Lord! And he cried.

From the time of this news until the end of the campaign, Kutuzov’s entire activity consists only in using power, cunning, and requests to keep his troops from useless offensives, maneuvers and clashes with a dying enemy. Dokhturov goes to Maloyaroslavets, but Kutuzov hesitates with the whole army and gives orders to clear Kaluga, a retreat beyond which seems to him very possible.
Kutuzov retreats everywhere, but the enemy, without waiting for his retreat, runs back in the opposite direction.
Historians of Napoleon describe to us his skillful maneuver on Tarutino and Maloyaroslavets and make assumptions about what would have happened if Napoleon had managed to penetrate into the rich midday provinces.
But apart from the fact that nothing prevented Napoleon from going to these midday provinces (since the Russian army gave him the way), historians forget that Napoleon's army could not be saved by anything, because it already carried in itself the inevitable conditions death. Why is this army, which found abundant food in Moscow and could not keep it, but trampled it underfoot, this army, which, having come to Smolensk, did not sort out food, but plundered it, why could this army recover in the Kaluga province, inhabited by those the same Russians as in Moscow, and with the same property of fire to burn what is lit?
The army could not recover anywhere. She, from the battle of Borodino and the robbery of Moscow, already carried in herself, as it were, chemical conditions decomposition.
The people of this former army they fled with their leaders not knowing where, wanting (Napoleon and every soldier) only one thing: to get out personally as soon as possible from that hopeless situation, which, although it was not clear, they were all aware of.
Only for this reason, at the council in Maloyaroslavets, when, pretending that they, the generals, are conferring, giving different opinions, last opinion the simple-hearted soldier Mouton, who said that everyone thought that they only needed to leave as soon as possible, closed all mouths, and no one, not even Napoleon, could say anything against this universally recognized truth.
But although everyone knew that they had to leave, there was still the shame of knowing that they had to run. And an external push was needed to overcome this shame. And this impulse came at the right time. It was the so-called French le Hourra de l "Empereur [imperial cheer].
The next day after the council, Napoleon, early in the morning, pretending to want to inspect the troops and the field of the past and future battle, with a retinue of marshals and an escort, rode in the middle of the line of disposition of troops. The Cossacks, snooping about the prey, stumbled upon the emperor himself and almost caught him. If the Cossacks did not catch Napoleon this time, then he was saved by the same thing that ruined the French: prey, on which both in Tarutino and here, leaving people, the Cossacks rushed. They, not paying attention to Napoleon, rushed to the prey, and Napoleon managed to get away.

, tok-pisin and hiri-motu

Papua New Guinea, full title Independent State of Papua New Guinea(English) Papua New Guinea [ˈpæpuːə njuː ˈɡɪni](i.e. ˈpɑːpuːə, ˈpæpjuːə), tok-pisin Papua Niugini, hiri-motu Papua Niu Gini) - a state in Oceania, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, occupies the eastern part of the island of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the northern part of the Solomon Islands (Bougainville Islands, Buka) , D'Antrecasto Islands and others. Area - 462,840 km². The population is about 6 million people (), mainly Papuans and Melanesians. Urban population- 15.2% (). The official languages ​​are English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu. Most of the population is Christian, the rest adhere to local traditional beliefs. Administrative-territorial division: 20 provinces. The capital is Port Moresby. Included in the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is the Queen, represented by a Governor General. The legislature is the National Parliament.

Name

Name "Papua" comes from the Malay word "papua", which in translation into Russian means "curly" (according to another version from "orang papua" - "curly black-headed man"). This name was given to the island of New Guinea by the Portuguese Menezes in 1526, noting the shape of the hair of the locals. In 1545, Ortiz de Retes visited the island and gave it the name "New Guinea", since, in his opinion, the locals were similar to the natives of Guinea in Africa (he may have seen the similarity of the coasts of the new island and African Guinea).

From the beginning of European colonization until independence, the country changed its official name several times. The southeastern part was called British New Guinea in 1884-1906, and Papua (under Australian control) in 1906-1949. northeastern part at first it was a colony of Germany and in 1884-1920 it was called German New Guinea (since 1914 under the control of Australia), and in 1920-1949, according to the decision of the League of Nations, it was renamed the Territory of New Guinea, mandated by Australia. In 1949, the two Australian colonies were merged into one, the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. In 1972, the province was named Territory of Papua New Guinea. Since 1975, the name Papua New Guinea has become the official name for the newly independent state.

Physical and geographical characteristics

Geographical position and relief

The state of Papua New Guinea is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, north of Australia and not far from the equator. The country occupies the eastern part of the island of New Guinea, located to the northeast of it, the Bismarck Archipelago (which includes the large islands of New Britain, New Ireland, as well as the Admiralty Islands, Tabar, Lihir, Tanga, Feni, St. Matthias and others), located to the east, the northern part of the Solomon Islands (with the largest islands from Bougainville and Buka), located southeast of the main island of D "Antrecasto, Murua (Woodlark), Trobriand, the Louisiade archipelago, as well as other nearby islands and reefs (more than 600 in total ).

Papua New Guinea is washed by the Arafura, Coral, Solomon and New Guinea Seas, as well as the Pacific Ocean. The country is separated from Australia by the Torres Strait, about 160 km wide. The state has a land border only with Indonesia (in the west), which is drawn along the 141 meridian and only in a small area deviates to the west along with the river Fly. It borders by sea with Australia (in the south), the Solomon Islands (in the southeast), Nauru (in the east) and the Federated States of Micronesia (in the north).

The Fly platform is a lowland composed of sedimentary deposits that accumulated from the Mesozoic era to the Quaternary period. The orogenic zone of New Guinea consists of various deformed sedimentary, metamorphic and volcanic rocks (including intrusive ones). This zone includes areas of folding (Papuan, New Guinean thrust belt, Oeun-Stanley thrust belt), island arcs (Melanesian arcs) and inland small sea basins.

The Papua folded region with the Central Range and the Papua Plateau is formed by horizontal compression of rocks and is covered with a thick layer of sedimentary carbonate deposits of the Miocene time. The New Guinean thrust belt is located north of the Papuan folding and is represented in the relief by the Coastal Mountains. It is composed predominantly of gneisses, formed at moderate pressures during the metamorphism of sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Less common are gneisses formed at high pressures. The thrust belt was formed in two stages: in the southern part, activity was noted in the late Cretaceous period, and in the northern part - Eocene-Oligocene (with the formation of intrusive gabbro and basalt minerals in the Torricelli mountains). The Owen-Stanley thrust belt was formed southwest of the Papuan folded area as a result of a strike-slip, hardly noticeable in the modern relief. The belt is composed of sedimentary rocks accumulated from the Cretaceous to the Miocene, with inclusions of metamorphic rocks. high pressure.

Soils

Hydrology

The islands that make up Papua New Guinea have a fairly dense river network. Rivers originate in the mountains and flow into the ocean. During heavy rains, rivers overflow and flood large areas, turning many areas into swamps. There are especially many swamps on the island of New Guinea. With the wide distribution of wetlands, the spread of malaria is also associated.

Climate

thick wet rainforests, formed by hundreds of species of trees, climb the slopes of the mountains. However, now there are also plantations and orchards. Coconut palms, bananas, sugarcane, melon tree, tubers - taro, yams, sweet potatoes, cassava and other crops grow. Gardens alternate with forests. Plots of land are cultivated for only 2-3 years, then overgrown with forest for 10-12 years. Thus fertility is restored.

Above 1000-2000 m, forests become more uniform in composition, conifers begin to predominate in them, especially araucaria. These trees are of economic importance: their wood is valuable construction material. However, the delivery of sawn timber is difficult due to the paucity of good roads.

The highlands of New Guinea are covered with shrubs and meadows. In the intermountain basins, where the climate is drier, herbaceous vegetation is widespread, which arose in place of forests mainly as a result of fires.

The fauna of the country is represented by reptiles, insects and especially numerous birds. For the fauna of mammals, as in neighboring Australia, only representatives of marsupials are characteristic - bandicoot (marsupial badger), wallaby (tree kangaroo), couscous, etc. In the forests and on the coast there are many snakes, including poisonous ones, and lizards. Crocodiles and turtles are found near the sea coasts and in large rivers. Of the birds, cassowaries, birds of paradise, crowned pigeons, parrots, weed chickens (ancestors of domestic chickens) are characteristic. Europeans brought domestic chickens, dogs and pigs to the island. Feral pigs, as well as rats, field mice and some other animals have spread widely throughout the country.

Story

By the time of European colonization, what is now Papua New Guinea was inhabited by Papuans and Melanesians. They lived in Stone Age conditions, hunting, fishing and gathering.

New Guinea was discovered in 1526 by the Portuguese navigator Jorge de Menezes. The name of the island was given by the Spanish navigator Ortiz de Retis in 1545, seeing the similarity of the population with the population of African Guinea.

Exploration of the island and the penetration of Europeans there began only in the 19th century. Thus, the Russian researcher N. Miklukho-Maclay lived among the Papuans for a total of almost four years (in the 1870s and early 1880s).

The northeastern part with the adjacent islands - the Bismarck Archipelago and others (the name New Guinea was later assigned to this territory) was captured by Germany in the 1880s, after the First World War, in 1920 it was transferred to Australia as a mandated territory of the League of Nations (later - UN Trust Territory).

Papua New Guinea is very rich in natural resources, but their use is difficult due to the conditions of the terrain and the high costs of infrastructure development. Nevertheless, the development of deposits of copper ore, gold and oil provides almost two-thirds of foreign exchange earnings.

GDP per capita in 2009 - 2.3 thousand dollars (182nd place in the world).

Industry (37% of GDP) - oil extraction and processing, gold, silver, copper ore mining, copra processing, palm oil production, wood processing, construction.

Agriculture (33% of GDP, 85% of employees) - coffee, cocoa, copra, coconuts, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables, vanilla; seafood, poultry, pigs.

Service sector - 30% of GDP.

Export - 5.7 billion dollars in 2008 - oil, gold, copper ore, timber, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crabs, shrimp.

The main export buyers are Australia 27.2%, Japan 9.2%, China 5.1%.

Import - 3.1 billion dollars in 2008 - vehicles, manufactured goods, food, fuel.

The main import suppliers are Australia 42.6%, Singapore 15.6%, China 11%, Japan 5.8%, Malaysia 4.3%.

culture

Social sphere

see also

• The ancient agricultural settlement of Kuka, showing the isolated development of agriculture over 7-10 millennia and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Notes

1. (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. - Invasion Part 1. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
2. Butinov, N. A. Brief historical information // Peoples of Papua New Guinea (From a tribal system to an independent state) / Ed. A. M. Reshetova. - St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2000. - S. 17-20. - 382 p. - ISBN 5-85803-146-3
3. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. - Colonial section, part 2. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
4. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. - Colonial section, part 3. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
5. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. - Under Australian dominance, part 2. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
6. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. - Under Australian dominance, part 5. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
7. History of Papua New Guinea. History of Nations. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
8. Ingrid Gascoigne Geography // Papua New Guinea. Cultures of the World Series. - 2. - Marshall Cavendish, 2009. - S. 7.8. - 144 p. - ISBN 9780761434160
9. ON THE. Butinov Natural conditions // Papuans of New Guinea / S.A. Tokarev. - Moscow: "Nauka", 1968. - S. 13-19. - 254 p.
10. Northern New Guinea montane rain forests (AA0116) . World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
11. Papua New Guinea Geology. Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
12. PAPUA NEW GUINEA. DEPARTMENT OF MINING. INFORMATION BOOKLET 2003. The European Shareholders of Bougainville Copper. Retrieved April 24, 2010.

There are not so many places left on the planet that the ubiquitous tentacles of civilization have not reached. And, nevertheless, there is a place where the locals look at the flying plane as a deity and go to war with the neighboring tribe. We're talking about Papua New Guinea.

Of course, this is a unique country. Many cultures, languages, customs, landscapes, flora and fauna are intertwined here. As already mentioned, completely wild tribes live in the local jungle, whose decoration is still considered to be the presence in the hut of a collection of ... enemy skulls. Nevertheless, tourists have nothing to fear, since, firstly, they are always under supervision, and secondly, they do not fall under the category of enemies.

Local valleys, mountains, waterfalls, rivers and swamps are great for hiking. But, of course, the main attraction is the underwater world of the seas surrounding this virgin country. FROM recently Papua New Guinea has developed into one of the world's leading dive destinations, as well as being the birthplace of mcdiving.

The best season, in terms of climate, comes here from May to October, while it should be borne in mind that the climate can change even within a few tens of kilometers. During the summer period, the country hosts a lot of events that attract tourists from all over the world.

Although the tribes inhabiting the country speak many dialects, English is official language countries. So, with a tolerable possession of it, there will be no problems with communication.

Of the sights, the capital, Port Moresby, should be highlighted. Back in the 19th century, an English captain founded a settlement in his name here, then various missionaries moored here, and little by little the small village turned into a city. However, the most rapid growth of the capital experienced during the Second World War. This was due to the fact that the largest American military base was located here, as well as the fact that Port Moresby was the only surviving city in the country, the rest swept to the ground. In general, the panorama of the capital sandwiched between the bay and the mountain range enchants with its beauty, revealing amazing beauty.

What to wish if the heating does not cope with the heating of the apartment? An excellent option is wall-mounted air conditioners from well-known manufacturers Dantex or Daikin. And summer will come and they will just as well create a cool and fresh microclimate in the room.

In the South-Western part of the capital, between the bays, there is an old city. It still has colonial buildings, evoking the atmosphere of the Victorian era, Kipling and the ubiquitous soldiers in red uniforms. Further south is Paga hill, whose height is 99 meters, and already behind it begins an endless series of city beaches. It is worth noting that it is on the beaches that the main festivals and festivities are held, during which local residents demonstrate to tourists the breathtaking art of dance.

In the northern part of the city there are administrative institutions, the building of the Parliament built in the national style. Not far from the Parliament is the National Museum, which contains collections of exhibits on the culture, history, ethnography and geography of the country. Also in this area is State University. A little to the west, endless botanical gardens begin, in which more than 3000 orchids have been collected. The area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe gardens is divided into several parts, each of which is a miniature version of a particular region of the country. Walking paths are made in the form of suspended wooden decks, so that a tourist can move around without fear of damaging this or that blade of grass or leaf.

In general, a tourist going to Papua New Guinea has the opportunity to feel like a pioneer, this alone is enough to hit the road!

Independent State of Papua New Guinea
English Independent State of Papua New Guinea talk-pisin Independent Stet bilong Papua Niugini
Hymn: "O Arise All You Sons"
date of independence	16 September 1975 (from Australia)
Official language	English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu
Capital
The largest city	Port Moresby, .
Form of government	a constitutional monarchy
Queen	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Bob Dadae
Prime Minister	Peter O'Neill
Territory	54th in the world
Total	462,840 km²
% water surface	2
Population
Score (2013)	▲ 7 334 638 people (104th)
Census (2011)	7,059,653 people
Density	13 people/km²
GDP
Total (2005)	$14.363 billion (126th)
Per capita	$2,418
HDI (2013)	▲ 0.466 (low; 156th)
Currency	Kina (PGK)
Internet domain	.pg
ISO code	PG
IOC code	PNG
Telephone code	+675
Time Zones	+10

Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea(full title - Independent State of Papua New Guinea; English Papua New Guinea [ˈpæpuːə njuː ˈɡɪni] (also ˈpɑːpuːə, ˈpæpjuːə), tok-pisin Papua Niugini, hiri-motu Papua Niu Gini) is a state in, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, occupies the eastern part of the island, the Bismarck Archipelago, northern part of the Solomon Islands (Bougainville, Buka Islands), D'Antrecasto Islands and others. Area - 462,840 km². Population - 7,275,324 people (2011) - mainly Papuans and Melanesians. Urban population - 15.2% (1991).

The official languages ​​are English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu. Most of the population are Christians, the rest adhere to local traditional beliefs. Administrative-territorial division: 20 provinces. Capital - . Included in the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is the British Queen, represented by the Governor General. The legislative body is the National Parliament.

Name

Name "Papua" comes from the Malay word "papua", which translated into Russian means "curly" (according to another version from " papua orang- "curly black-headed man"). This name was given to the island by the Portuguese Jorge de Menezes in 1526, noting the shape of the hair of the locals. In 1545, the island was visited by Iñigo Ortiz de Retes and gave it the name "New Guinea", since, in his opinion, the locals were similar to the natives in (perhaps he saw the similarity of the outlines of the shores of the new island and the territory of African Guinea).

From the beginning of European colonization until independence, the country changed its official name several times. The southeastern part was called British New Guinea in 1884-1906, and Papua (under Australian control) in 1906-1949. The northeastern part was at first a colony and in 1884-1920 was called German New Guinea (from 1914 under the control of Australia), and in 1920-1949, according to the decision of the League of Nations, it was renamed the Territory of New Guinea, mandated by Australia. In 1949, the two Australian colonies were united into one - the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. In 1972, the province was renamed the Territory of Papua New Guinea. Since 1975, the name Papua New Guinea has become the official name for the newly independent state.

Physical and geographical characteristics

Geographical position and relief

The state of Papua New Guinea is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, north of Australia and not far from the equator. The country occupies the eastern part of the island, located to the northeast of it, the Bismarck archipelago (which includes large islands, New Ireland, as well as the Admiralty Islands, Tabar, Lihir, Tanga, Feni, St. part of the Solomon Islands (with the largest islands of Bougainville and Buka), located southeast of the main island of D'Entrecasteaux, Murua (Woodlark), Trobriand, the Louisiade archipelago, as well as other nearby islands and reefs (more than 600 in total).

Owen Ridge - Stanley.

Papua New Guinea is washed by the Arafura, Coral, Solomon and New Guinea Seas, as well as the Pacific Ocean. The country is separated from Australia by the Torres Strait, about 160 km wide. The state has a land border only with (in the west), which is drawn along the 141st meridian and only in a small area deviates to the west along with the Fly River. It borders Australia (to the south), (to the southeast), (to the east) and the Federated States of Micronesia (to the north) by sea.

The exploration of the island and the penetration of Europeans there began only in the 19th century. Thus, the Russian researcher N. Miklukho-Maclay lived among the Papuans for a total of almost four years (in the 1870s and early 1880s).

In the 19th century, Papua New Guinea was also visited by other Europeans - merchants, whalers, missionaries. Europeans brought the first iron tools to Papua New Guinea.

Since 1884 southeastern part about. New Guinea (Papua) was ruled by british empire, which at the beginning of the 20th century transferred it to Australia.

The northeastern part with the adjacent islands - the Bismarck Archipelago and others (later the name New Guinea was assigned to this territory) was captured in the 1880s, after the First World War, in 1920 transferred to Australia as a mandated territory of the League of Nations (later - ward UN territory).

In 1949, both parts (Papua and New Guinea) were administratively united by the Australian authorities.

In 1973, the territory of Papua New Guinea received internal self-government. In September 1975 it became an independent state.

In 1988-1997, there was a guerrilla war on the island of Bougainville - the Revolutionary Army of Bougainville fought for the separation of the island from Papua New Guinea. To fight against the partisans, the government of Papua New Guinea used almost all the armed forces of the country (about 2 thousand soldiers and officers), and also asked Australia for help, which sent a small military contingent, and hired a group of professional mercenaries. During this war, about 20 thousand people died.

In 2012, a cannibal sect disrupted the elections by terrorizing the local population.

Chronological table

Administrative division

Papua New Guinea is divided into 4 regions, and those into 22 provinces.

Regions

Regions of Papua New Guinea Highlands Region Islands Region Momase Region Papua Region

Provinces

Provinces of Papua New Guinea

№	Provinces	Administrative center	Square, km²	Population, people (2011)	Density, person/km²	Region
1		Central		29 561	269 756	9,13	Papua
2		Simbu		6 134	376 473	61,37	highlands
3		Eastern Highlands		11 147	579 825	52,02	highlands
4		Eastern New Britain		15 280	328 369	21,49	Islands
5		East Sepik		43 671	450 530	10,32	Momase
6		Enga	Wabag	11 730	432 045	36,83	highlands
7		gulf	Kerema	34 550	158 197	4,58	Papua
8		Madang		28 970	493 906	17,05	Momase
9		Manus	Lorengau	1 913	60 485	31,62	Islands
10		Milne Bay	Alotau	14 196	276 512	19,48	Papua
11		Morobe		33 762	674 810	19,99	Momase
12		New Ireland		9 581	194 067	20,26	Islands
13		oro		22 608	186 309	8,24	Papua
14		Autonomous Region of Bougainville		9 357	249 358	26,65	Islands
15		Southern Highlands		15 098	510 245	33,80	highlands
16		Western (Fly)		98 115	201 351	2,05	Papua
17		Western Highlands		4 323	362 850	83,93	highlands
18		Western New Britain		20 296	264 264	13,02	Islands
19				35 908	248 411	6,92	Momase
20		National Capital District		240	364 125	1517,19	Papua
21		Hela	Tari	10 500	249 449	23,76	highlands
22		Jivaka	Minyi	4 800	343 987	71,66	highlands
		Total		461 740	7 275 324	15,76

New provinces

On May 17, 2012, two new provinces of Hela and Jivaka were created. They are separate from the provinces of the Southern Highlands and the Western Highlands, respectively.

Population

Girl with a dog on the island of Vagif

Population- 6.1 million (estimated as of July 2010).

population growth- 2.0% (fertility - 3.5 births per woman).

Density- 13 people/km².

fertility- 27 per 1000 people.

Mortality- 6.6 per 1000 people.

infant mortality- 44.6 per 1000 babies.

Life expectancy of men- 63.8 years.

Women's life expectancy- 68.3 years.

Infection with the immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- 1.5% (2007 estimate).

Literacy: 63% for men, 51% for women (according to the 2000 census).

Percentage of urban population - 12 %.

Proportion of population over 65 years old - 3,5 %.

Percentage of population under 15 - 36,9 %.

The last population census was conducted in 2000 (5,190,783 people).

According to the average forecast, the population of the country will be 13 million people by 2100.

Ethno-racial composition - Melanesians, Papuans, Negrito, Micronesians, Polynesians.

Languages ​​- official: Tok Pisin (the most common), English (knows 1%), Hiri Motu (knows 2%). There are over 800 indigenous languages. Country with the largest number languages ​​(about 10% of the total number of languages ​​in the world). One of the explanations is the lack of communication between the peoples living in the valleys, fenced off by mountains.

Religions: Catholics - 27%, Lutherans - 19.5%, United Church of Papua New Guinea - 11.5%, Adventists - 10%, Assemblies of God Pentecostals - 8.6%, Evangelicals - 5.2%, Anglicans - 3.2%, Baptists - 2.5%, other Protestants - 8.9%, Baha'is - 0.3%, Aboriginal and other beliefs - 3.3% (according to the 2000 census).

Cities

Politic system

A constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor General (since February 25, 2011 - Michael Ogio). The Governor-General is appointed by the Queen at the choice of the Parliament of Papua New Guinea.

Parliament - unicameral, 109 seats, of which 89 deputies are elected by the population for 5 years, another 20 are appointed from the provinces.

Represented in Parliament:

• National Alliance - 30 seats;
• Party of Papua New Guinea - 8 seats;
• People's Action - 6 seats;
• Pangu - 5 places;
• People's Democratic Movement - 5 seats;
• United Resources Party - 5 seats;
• People's Progress Party - 5 seats;
• People's National Congress - 5 seats.

In addition, another 12 parties have from 4 to 1 seats in parliament, and 16 deputies are non-partisan. The composition of party factions often changes as deputies change party affiliations. A total of 45 political parties were officially registered in Papua New Guinea ahead of the parliamentary elections in July 2007.

Foreign policy

Papua New Guinea's foreign policy is based on close ties with Australia and other traditional allies, as well as cooperative relations with neighboring countries. Her views on international political and economic issues are generally moderate. Papua New Guinea has diplomatic relations with 56 countries.

Papua New Guinea belongs to a number of regional organizations, among them:

• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC);
• Asian Development Bank
• ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) In the ASEAN+2 format (Australia and New Zealand) - Papua New Guinea is an observer member of ASEAN;
• East Asia Summit (EAS) - Papua New Guinea emerges as a potential candidate
• East Asia Community (EAC) - Papua New Guinea - Candidate
• Pacific Community Secretariat or Commission for the South Pacific (SPC);
• Pacific Islands Forum (PHOTO);
• Plan of Colombo;
• Commonwealth of Nations;
• Secretariat of the Pacific Community;
• Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation Council (APSC);
• South Pacific Regional Protection Program environment and etc.

Relations with countries

Australia

Relations with Australia strained in 2006 when Prime Minister Michael Somare was accused of aiding the escape of Julian Moti to the Solomon Islands. Moti was wanted in Australia on serious charges of alleged child sex crimes. In retaliation, the Australian government banned Somara from Australia; all negotiations between Canberra and Port Moresby were suspended. Relations thawed in September 2007 and in December 2007 the new Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd met Sir Michael in Bali. Rudd announced: "This relationship has gone through a very difficult period in recent times. In reality, there was a freezing of contacts between the governments at the ministerial level of the two countries. I don't believe this is a viable option for a future relationship."

Cuba

In the late 2000s, Papua New Guinea began to strengthen its relationship with Cuba. Cuba provides medical assistance to the country. In September 2008, the government of Papua New Guinea hosted the first Cuban-Pacific Islands ministerial meeting in Havana aimed at "strengthening cooperation" between Cuba and the Pacific island countries, in particular in combating the effects of climate change.

Fiji

Start date of relationship: 1976.

As of November 2005, relations with the Pacific Neighbor were tense, as a number of Fiji mercenaries operated illegally on Bougainville, arming and training the militia.

France

Official diplomatic relations were established in 1976. Papua New Guinea is a member of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization. The French government noted that it finds a "moderate" attitude on the issue of decolonization - which, like Papua New Guinea, is in . The French National Assembly maintains friendly relations with Papua New Guinea.

Indonesia

Indonesia shares a 760-kilometer land border with Papua New Guinea, which has kept diplomatic relations tense for decades. Indonesia is represented in Papua New Guinea by an embassy in Port Moresby and a consulate in Vanimo.

People's Republic of China

Independent State of Papua New Guinea and China People's Republic(PRC) established formal diplomatic relations in 1976, shortly after Papua New Guinea gained independence. The two countries currently maintain diplomatic, economic and, to a lesser extent, military relations. Relations between the countries are quite warm, China is a major investor, and also provides assistance in the development of Papua New Guinea.

Philippines

In March 2009, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will enhance cooperation between the two countries in fisheries development. The MoU will promote technology transfer in aquaculture development, promotion of shipping enterprises, investment, technical training, joint research, and "strategic complement" plans of each country in the "Coral Triangle". In the same year, Papua New Guinea turned to the Philippines for help in facilitating its entry into ASEAN.

Great Britain

Papua New Guinea and Great Britain were under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Diplomatic relations with England were established in 1975 when Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia.

USA

The US and Papua New Guinea signed the US-Pacific Islands Multilateral Tuna Fishing Treaty, under which the US pays $63 million a year to the islands and they grant US access to their fishing vessels. The US also supports Papua New Guinea's biodiversity efforts; The International Coral Reef Initiative, which aims to protect reefs in tropical countries such as Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea and the Commonwealth of Nations

Papua New Guinea has been a member of the Commonwealth of Nations since 1975 when it gained independence from Australia.

Papua New Guinea is a member of the British Commonwealth, and in other member states of this organization, its embassies are headed by "high commissioners" with the rank of ambassador.

Armed forces

The armed forces of Papua New Guinea are recruited on a voluntary contract basis by males over the age of 16 (with the consent of the parents and after graduating from 12 grades of school), forced conscription is not carried out.

Economy

Papua New Guinea is very rich in natural resources, but their use is difficult due to the conditions of the terrain and the high costs of infrastructure development. Nevertheless, the development of deposits of copper ore, gold and oil provides almost two-thirds of foreign exchange earnings.

GDP per capita in 2009 - 2.4 thousand dollars (124th place in the world).

Industry (37% of GDP) - oil extraction and processing, gold, silver, copper ore mining, copra processing, palm oil production, wood processing, construction.

Agriculture (33% of GDP, 85% of employees) - coffee, cocoa, copra, coconuts, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables, vanilla; seafood, poultry, pigs.

Service sector - 30% of GDP.

International trade

Export - 5.7 billion dollars in 2008 - oil, gold, copper ore, timber, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crabs, shrimp.

The main buyers of exports: Australia - 27.2%, - 9.2%, China - 5.1%.

Import - 3.1 billion dollars in 2008 - vehicles, manufactured goods, food, fuel.

The main suppliers of imports: Australia - 42.1%, - 15.5%, China - 10.8%, Japan - 5.7%, - 4.3%.

It is a member of the international organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Social sphere

Human rights violations

Claims of world human rights activists are caused by cases of police use of force against children, bullying and sexual abuse of children in police stations. Children affected by police injuries are often not provided with health care. The practice of ritual murders of women suspected of witchcraft persists. According to statistics, two-thirds of women in Papua New Guinea are constantly exposed to domestic violence, half of the women, according to surveys, have experienced forced sex. Witchcraft is prosecuted by law, usually cases of witchcraft are dealt with by village courts, which are deliberately biased against the defendants. This practice is opposed by local human rights activists and the Catholic Church. There have been cases of missing and murders of human rights activists - including those who campaign for women's rights.

Crime

According to the United Nations Program for settlements, the crime rate in the whole country is quite high, which "is one of the most serious problems affecting urban development and governance in Papua New Guinea."

Large cities are especially criminogenic (for example, Port Moresby, Lae), which is largely due to the presence in these cities of such a social and criminal phenomenon as reskolizm.

The death penalty

The death penalty in the country was banned from 1954 to 1991, in 1991 the parliament introduced the death penalty for premeditated murder, but in fact there is a moratorium, not a single death penalty was carried out during this period. However, the murder of a mother of four of her children in 2009 raised the question of lifting the moratorium in society.

witchcraft law

A witchcraft law was passed in Papua New Guinea in 1971. Although he does not claim that sorcerers and witchcraft actually exist, however, the text of this act establishes that people who consider themselves "bewitched" are not responsible for their actions. This provision is used as a mitigating circumstance in court in cases where the alleged sorcerer is killed. Often, women who came from other tribes and had no relatives became victims of lynching in connection with accusations of witchcraft. In February 2013, a 20-year-old girl was lynched in the city. She was accused of killing the boy with the help of witchcraft, after which the relatives of the child burned the suspect alive in front of the crowd. Representatives of the UN condemned the deed. In 2012, a cult of witch hunters was operating in the country, who killed sorcerers of both sexes and ate fragments of their bodies. According to the gang members, spirits helped them to distinguish a sorcerer from an ordinary person. Due to the actions of cannibals, the country's authorities even had to extend the elections taking place in the country, as many residents were afraid to go to the polls.

In April 2013, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O'Neill, promised to repeal the witchcraft law in force in the country. In May of the same year, it was reported that this legal act was canceled in the state; in addition, the authorities of the country decided after a break of 60 years to resume the death penalty in an attempt to stem the tide of violent crime.

see also

• Ancient agricultural settlement of Kuka

Notes

1. World Atlas: Maximum detailed information/ Project leaders: A. N. Bushnev, A. P. Pritvorov. - Moscow: AST, 2017. - S. 93. - 96 p. - ISBN 978-5-17-10261-4.
2. Papua New Guinea Population clock (10/18/13).
3. Ageenko F. L. Papua* // Dictionary of Proper Names of the Russian Language. stress. Pronunciation. Inflection. - M .: LLC "Publishing House" World and Education ""; Onyx, 2010. - 880 p. - ISBN 5-94666-588-X, 978-5-94666-588-9.
4. Atlas of the world / comp. and prepare. to the press of PKO "Cartography" in 1982; resp. editors: S. I. Sergeeva, V. M. Antonov. - Correct. in 1991 - M .: State Geodesy of the USSR, 1991. - S. 195, 286.
5. Papua New Guinea // Great Russian Encyclopedia: [in 35 volumes] / ch. ed. Yu. S. Osipov. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2004-2017.
6. On July 7, 2013, a change was made to the all-Russian classifier of countries of the world, according to which the name of the country is written without a dash, similar to the English spelling
7. Census - (2011) Geohive
8. Census - (2011) City Population
9. Census - (2011) Png Nso
10. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. - Invasion Part 1. Retrieved February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
11. Butinov, N. A. Brief historical information// Peoples of Papua New Guinea (From a tribal system to an independent state) / Ed. A. M. Reshetova. - St. Petersburg. : Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2000. - S. 17-20. - 382 p. - ISBN 5-85803-146-3.
12. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. — Colonial Section, Part 2. Retrieved February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
13. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. - Colonial Section, Part 3. Retrieved February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
14. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. — Under Australian Dominion, Part 2. Retrieved February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
15. Birds of paradise island. History of Papua New Guinea (Malakhovsky K.V.) (Russian). Geography.su: Geographic atlas for students. — Under Australian Dominion, Part 5. Retrieved 15 February 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011.
16. History of Papua New Guinea. History of Nations. Retrieved February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
17. Ingrid Gascoigne. Geography // Papua New Guinea. Cultures of the World Series. - 2. - Marshall Cavendish, 2009. - S. 7.8. - 144 p. - ISBN 9780761434160.
18. ON THE. Butinov. natural conditions// Papuans of New Guinea / S.A. Tokarev. - Moscow: "Nauka", 1968. - S. 13-19. - 254 p.
19. Northern New Guinea montane rain forests (AA0116) . World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
20. Papua New Guinea Geology. Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
21. PAPUA NEW GUINEA. DEPARTMENT OF MINING. INFORMATION BOOKLET 2003. The European Shareholders of Bougainville Copper. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
22. Susan Wacaster. The Mineral Industry of Papua New Guinea // U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook. - 2010.
23. Travis Q. Lyday. The Mineral Industry of Papua New Guinea // U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook. - 1994.
24. Annual report 2007 (unavailable link - story) . Bouginville copper limited. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
25. MINERAL COMMODITY. SUMMARIES 2009 (English) . USGS. Retrieved May 24, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
26. Misima Gold and Silver Mine, Papua New Guinea. Net Resources International. Retrieved May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
27. Oil (English) . information and analytical center "MINERAL". Retrieved May 29, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
28. Cannibal sect disrupts Papua New Guinea elections
29. University of Papua New Guinea The State of the Forests in Papua New Guinea
30. PNG’S new province Hela, Jiwaka declared
31. Blimey! (Russian) // Science and life. - 2008. - No. 4. - S. 85. - ISSN 0028-1263.
32. Papua New Guinea in the CIA World Directory. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
33. Roman Mamchits. Battle of Guadalcanal. Double 2 (Russian), Private Correspondent (November 5, 2010). Retrieved November 5, 2010.
34. Safer Port Moresby Initiative
35. In New Guinea, the law against witchcraft is repealed. Retrieved April 13, 2013. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013.
36. Siegel, Matt. Papua New Guinea Moves to Repeal Sorcery Act Dictionaries and encyclopedias

    Big Russian Brockhaus and Efron Military Sytin Small Brockhaus and Efron Small Brockhaus and Efron Britannica (online) Brockhaus

    Regulatory control

    BNE: XX454068 BNF: 10133671v GND: 4044569-0 ISNI: 0000 0001 2296 5717 LCCN: n81034915 NDL: 00569039 NLA: 35408370 LIBRIS: 156257 VIAF: 1517

From time immemorial, Russian and foreign sailors began to explore the islands located in the Pacific Ocean. These natural complexes so amazing and unusual that they are considered to be separate continents with their own culture and way of life. From school, we all remember that in Oceania after Greenland is Papua New Guinea.

The island is washed by several seas: New Guinea, Solomon, Coral, as well as the Gulf of Papua. close study natural resources N. N. Miklukho-Maclay, a Russian biologist and navigator who made a significant contribution to geography, history and science, was engaged in local culture and the indigenous population. Thanks to this man, the world learned about the existence of wild jungles and original tribes.

True, tours to the island in Oceania are not in great demand, while they remain rare. But travelers who have visited the local jungle, untouched by civilization, recall their vacation with rapture and delight. rich vegetation, exotic animal world, amazing landscapes, a variety of languages, customs and cultures leave an indelible impression in the memory. Our publication is dedicated to this state.

Geographical description of the island of New Guinea

The tropical island is located in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, connecting two parts of the world: Asia and Australia. It has been an independent state since 1975, is also part of the British Commonwealth and is a member of the UN. Its capital is the city of Port Moresby. The origin of the island of New Guinea is mainland. Almost the entire territory is covered with massive hills, rocky ridges.

Most of them are of volcanic origin, rising to 3000 meters above sea level. According to scientific data, Wilhelm is considered the highest mountain, which reaches 4509 meters. Between the hills there are wide hollows filled with water, densely planted with tropical trees.

Several rivers flow on the island: Ramu, Sepik, Markham, Purari, Fly. Scientists involved in the geological study of the island claim that the continent has a high seismic activity. The last eruption was recorded in the last century, during which thousands of people suffered, and agriculture was also greatly damaged.

New Guinea Island: population

Life on tropical islands originated thousands of years ago, no one can name the exact date. The last census took place in 1900, at that time the population was about 10 million people. The indigenous people are the Papuans, belonging to the equatorial race. In addition to the Melanesians - as this nation is also called - Asians and even Europeans live.

The lack of civilization, jobs, as well as unfavorable living conditions and the presence of a high crime situation are forcing the natives to migrate from the "mainland" of New Guinea. The island lives according to its customs and laws. Papuans create clans, tribes, choose elders, without whom they are not accepted important tasks and solutions.

The main occupation of the population is agriculture. Wild tribes plow the land, plant palm trees with bananas, coconuts, and pineapples. Fishing and hunting are no less popular. Some natives mine precious metals and then sold on the black market.

Climatic conditions

The huge masses of water and the insignificant size of the land have influenced the climate as a whole. In the north, there is a humid equatorial climate, characterized by heavy rains, slight winds. summer temperature regime fluctuates within +30...+32 °С, slightly decreases at night.

The southern part of the mainland is ruled by the subequatorial climatic zone. In the winter months (January-February), strong winds dominate the island of Papua New Guinea. The island, or rather the southeast (May-August) and the central part, is heavily flooded with tropical rains.

The rest of the coastal area (lowland) undergoes drought until late autumn. In areas with high mountains and ridges, a small amount of precipitation falls, since the highlands act as a protective barrier against cold air masses and rains.

Economic situation

The relief of the ridges prevents the construction of highways and connecting paths. To date, there is no land communication with large New Guinea. The island has only air communication with the Pacific regions. To maintain and develop the economy, the state in Oceania regularly receives financial support from Australia.

However, the infrastructure remains at an antediluvian level. The main reason is non-compliance with the law on the part of local residents. Crime and civil strife flare up in rural areas. In order to protect their property from robbery and ruin, residents create communities.

The main activity of the population is agriculture. Thus, market relations are established between tribes and regions. Sweet potatoes and tea are cultivated in the mountainous regions; vegetables, bananas, yams, and taro are cultivated in the lowlands. They grow different cereals, fruit, coffee and chocolate trees. Animal husbandry is practiced. Papua New Guinea is rich in mineral resources. The mining industry is actively developing.

Flora

The territory of the island of New Guinea is covered with evergreen savannas. Valuable species of plants and relic trees grow in the jungle: sago and coconut palms, melon and mango, rubber plants, ficuses, bamboos, pandanuses, casuarinas. The forests contain pines and ferns. And in the swampy areas grow mangroves. Along the banks of the rivers you can see thickets of sugar cane.

Fauna

The animal world is rich and varied. Alligators, dangerous and poisonous snakes, as well as lizards and chameleons are found in local rivers. Fauna represented amazing insects, exotic birds and reptiles. Birds of paradise, cassowaries, large parrots live on the mainland. Large turtles crawl along the coast. In the forests there are marsupial badgers, kangaroos, couscous. locals they breed animals familiar to our region: pigs, cows, horses, goats and other livestock.

Tourist orientation

Inveterate travelers know where the island of New Guinea is located, and therefore strive to get here in summer months to see the colorful and varied jungle world. In warm weather, enchanting festivals with national dances of the natives are organized here. Many are attracted by sightseeing holidays in wild jungle with a local guide, others - acquaintance with the sights of nearby resorts.

Things to do?

Having purchased a tour to Papua New Guinea, be sure to go diving. Every hotel and inn offer similar services. The waters of the Pacific Ocean are an unusually colorful world, teeming with coral reefs, amazing sea ​​creatures, large predators. At the bottom of the ocean you can see sunken ships and planes.

Surfing and windsurfing are equally popular. The best beaches for this extreme activity are the coasts of the resorts of Wewak, Madang, Vanimo, Alotau. It is allowed to fish in coastal waters, which is what guests of the island do. It is possible to catch mackerel, giant trevally, dog-toothed tuna, barracuda, salmon, perch and many other trophies. Rafting, canoeing, kayaking, boat trips are in great demand.

Papua New Guinea - natural wonder world, fraught with many mysteries and seductive with its resources. If you are not afraid of tropical mosquito bites and the aggressive behavior of the Papuans, then feel free to purchase a tour to the picturesque island.