The island of New Guinea, in the Pacific Ocean, is the third largest in the world. It houses two different countries: West New Guinea and Papua New Guinea . The name of "New Guinea" was put by the Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez in the year 1545 because of the similarities he thought he saw with the coasts of the African Guinea. The term "Papua" is of uncertain origin and is believed to come from the Malay "papuah" which means "curly" and which would refer to the hair of the inhabitants of the country. Join us to know 20 Curiosities of Papua New Guinea. Curious facts of this country that will surely interest you and surprise you.
Before starting with the curiosities of Papua New Guinea some brief geographical notes. It occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and also numerous surrounding islands. Its population revolves around 8 million inhabitants. In the country you can find some of the most interesting tribal cultures in the world for their diversity. The climate is tropical and due to its extensive jungle is one of the least explored countries in the world.
20 Curiosities of Papua New Guinea
one . Because of the proximity to Australia and its strong links, it was managed by it for decades, until in 1975 he obtained independence to.
two . The territory of Papua New Guinea is divided into 22 provinces and the capital and also the most populous city is Puerto Moresby.
3 . Is a Constitutional Monarchy with a parliamentary democracy . The country belongs to the Commonwealth and therefore Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is its monarch. It is represented by a Governor.
4. In the country there are three official languages , English, which is only used in cities, the tok pisin, which is the Creole language spoken in the north and the hiri motu which is the lingua franca spoken in the south and is also Creole.
5 . However, it is a country so diverse that in it more than 800 indigenous languages are spoken .
6 . One of the curiosities of Papua New Guinea is that in its territory the easiest language to learn in the world is spoken: the portoni. It has no grammar and its vocabulary consists of only 1,750 words.
7 . It is one of the places on the planet with a higher percentage of rural population . Only 18% of the inhabitants live in the cities.
8 . One of the curiosities of Papua New Guinea that you have probably heard about is that it is one of the last places in the world where cannibalism was practiced . There were some cases in the 60s, 70s and 80s of the 20th century.
9 . The first settlers they arrived on the island 50,000 years ago from Southeast Asia.
10 . The flag of Papua New Guinea is divided by a diagonal. In the upper part, a Raggi bird of paradise is drawn in red and in the lower one, black there are five white stars that represent the constellation of the Southern Cross .
11. Traditional festivals they are another of the curiosities of New Guinea. The main ones are the Mt. Hagen Cultural Festival where a large number of tribes gather and the Hiri Moale Festival commemorating the ancient expedition of Hiri Trade between the Motu-Koitabu people and the Erema people.
12 . Another curiosity of Papua New Guinea is that on the island lives the only poisonous bird in the world, the Pitohui with hood (Pitohui dichrous) . Your skin and feathers are covered by a neurotoxin that causes pain when touched.
13 . Despite being close to the equator and having a tropical climate, in the continental mountains it snows .
14 . Until 1933, in the country seashells were used as currency . Currently the currency is the Kina.
fifteen . The country has The third largest rainforest in the world , behind the Amazon and the Congo.
16 Although the island where Papua New Guinea is located only represents 1% of the earth's surface, contains 5% of the species of plants and animals . Of these, two thirds are endemic to the island.
17. The highest peak in Papua New Guinea is the Mount Wilhelm It measures 4,509 m.
18 . The national sport, although not officially, is the rugby .
19. The arboreal kangaroo is one of the typical mammals of the island where you can find more than 700 different birds and among them the famous bird of paradise that is embodied in its flag.
twenty . One of the curiosities of Papua New Guinea stars the Anga tribe that resides in the mountainous area of Morobe . This group mummifies their dead with a smoking process. Finally the body is covered with mud and reddish ocher that prevent decomposition.
Other Curiosities of Oceania | By countries
Do you want to know other curiosities of Oceania ? Then we propose a selection of curious data from other countries in those continents that you will surely love. Discover them!
- Curiosities of Australia
- Curiosities of Samoa
- Curiosities of New Zealand
Surely you would like to travel to this country that is one of the most diverse and least explored in the world and more if we take into account that it speaks the "portoni" the easiest language to learn in the world. Did you know these curiosities of Papua New Guinea ? Do you know any more? Share it with us and we can expand this list!