Papua New Guinea¶

Area

Oceania/Australia

Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, just north of Australia (and part of its land mass). Probably the most diverse country on earth, it is estimated that there are more than 1,000 cultural groups among its 7 million inhabitants, including hundreds of indiginous ethnic groups dating back 10,000 years or more. The country's 820 indigenous langugages represent 12% of all languages on earth.

Approximately 97% of the land in the country is recognized as belonging to the many different groups of people. Subsistence agriculture provides a living for about 85% of the population, and nearly half the population is illiterate. While poor monetarily, the country is overflowing with cultural wealth. It is also believed that many undiscovered species of plants and animals exist in the largely unexplored interior. The extreme ruggedness of the country is probably what is responsible for the survival of the many cultures, as it has largely prevented the conquering nations from exploiting Papua New Guinea's vast natural resources.

Papua New Guinea on Wikipedia