What country is Papua New Guinea?

Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

Capital: Port Moresby

Population 4,705,126 (1999)

Religion Romanism accounts for 22%, Lutherans account for 16%, Presbyterian churches account for 8%, Anglicans account for 5%, Evangelicals account for 4%, Christianity accounts for 1%, and Protestants account for 10% , Native beliefs account for 34%.

Language The local language Motu is spoken by the majority of residents, and only 1%-2% can speak English.

Ethnicity 84% New Guinea Papuans, 15% New Guinea Melanesians

Brief History

Before 8,000 BC, people from Asia Hunters and farmers came to the island via Indonesia to settle. After the early 16th century, European sailors came to the island several times and predicted that the island was a golden island. It was occupied by Spain in 1545 and named New Guinea because the island's residents looked similar to those on the west coast of Africa.

In the 1850s, businessmen arrived one after another, and German businessmen sought to operate the coconut oil business in northern New Guinea. In the early 19th century, Britain and the Netherlands entered into an agreement to carve up the island. In 1828, the Netherlands began to colonize the western part of the island. From 1949 to 1962 it continued to be ruled by the Netherlands as Dutch Guinea.

In the eastern part of New Guinea, after Australia’s attempt to annex the island failed in 1884, the British were worried about the Germans occupying this area, so they established their own territory on the southern coast of New Guinea and nearby islands in 1884. of protected areas. The Germans followed suit and occupied three areas in northern New Guinea. In 1885, Britain and Germany signed the Anglo-German Agreement, delineating their respective spheres of influence on the island. The following year, Germany occupied the northern part of New Guinea and the islands of New Britton, New Ireland, and Bougainville. The British occupied the southern part of New Guinea and nearby islands. In 1901, British New Guinea was transferred to Australia and renamed the Territory of Papua in 1906.

During World War I, German New Guinea was occupied by Australia in 1914. On December 17, 1920, the League of Nations decided to entrust Australia with management. During World War II, it was occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. After the war, the United Nations entrusted Australia to continue to administer the German part. In 1949, Australia merged the former British and German parts into one administrative unit, called the "Territory of Papua and New Guinea" and renamed it Papua New Guinea in 1972. On December 1, 1973, it gained autonomy. It declared independence on September 16, 1975 and became a member of the Commonwealth.

Geographical location

It is located in the southwest Pacific, adjacent to Indonesia to the west, and about 160 kilometers away from the northern tip of Australia across the Torres Strait to the south. It consists of New Guinea in the north and Papua in the south, including the eastern part of New Guinea, the Bismarck Islands (mainly New Britain, New Ireland and Manus) and the northern part of the Solomon Islands (mainly Bougainville and Buka and other islands), there are more than 800 large and small islands.

Customs

The most representative customs are the "One Talk" system and the "Pay Back" system. "One Talk" refers to a system in which people who speak the same language and come from the same ethnic group and live in the city benefit from each other and help each other. If someone is unemployed and has no means of living, he or she can apply for "One Talk" assistance and receive subsidies. In other words, some people can live without working. Another "Pay Back" system refers to the tit-for-tat system, which can easily cause hatred between tribes.

Climate

It has a tropical rain forest climate with high temperature and humidity. The rainy season is from January to April, the dry season is from May to August, and the intermediate season is from September to December. The whole year is 21 Temperatures range from 10°C to 32°C, but can be as low as 10°C in the highlands. The most suitable season for traveling is from May to November, so just wear light clothing.