31 Facts About New Guinea

1. Papua New Guinea stretches from just south of the Equator to the Torres Strait, which separates New Guinea from Cape York Peninsula to the south, the northernmost extension of Australia.

2. Papua New Guinea is its own land, although it remains part of the Commonwealth and is one of the last bastions of exploratory adventure for curious explorers.

3. Papua New Guinea is fantastic for birdlife with the famous birds of paradise and 750 different species to look out for.

4. Papua New Guinea gained full independence from Australia in September 1975.

5. Papua New Guinea is one of the least explored countries of the world, culturally and geographically.

6. Papua New Guinea has only 18 per cent of its people living in urban centres.

7. Papua New Guinea has a greater density of languages than any other nation on earth, except Vanuatu.

8. Papua New Guinea is one of, if not the most, heterogeneous nations in the world.

9. Papua New Guinea consists of the eastern half of the island of New Guinea—the islands of New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville and around six hundred smaller islands, north of Australia.

10. Papua New Guinea was granted independence within the British Commonwealth in 1975.

11. Papua New Guinea has 5,150 kilometers of coastline.

12. Papua New Guinea has several volcanoes, as it is situated along the Ring of Fire.

13. Papua New Guinea has an estimated 11,000 plant species, 250 mammal species, and 700 bird species.

14. Papua New Guinea is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

15. Papua New Guinea is one of the 15 beneficiaries of a programme on Adapting to Climate Change and Sustainable Energy worth €37.26 million.

16. Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous nations in the world.

17. Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, including mineral and renewable resources, such as forests, marine, and in some parts agriculture.

18. Papua New Guinea is part of the Australasia ecozone, which includes Australia, New Zealand, eastern Indonesia, and several Pacific island groups, including the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

19. Papua New Guinea is surrounded by coral reefs which are under close watch, in the interests of preservation.

20. Papua New Guinea has positive ties with Australia and countries in Oceania.

21. In foreign policy, Papua New Guinea is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Pacific Islands Forum, and the Melanesian Spearhead Group of countries.

22. Papua New Guinea are unusual among Commonwealth realms in that governors-general are elected by the legislature, rather than chosen by the executive branch.

23. In January 2017, Papua New Guinea gave citizenship to 138 West Papuan refugees in a bid to calm tensions.

24. Papua New Guinea was admitted to membership in the United Nations on 10 October 1975.

25. Papua New Guinea is classified as a developing economy by the International Monetary Fund.

26. Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

27. The western half of New Guinea forms the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.

28. Papua New Guinea competed at events last year including the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last year.

29. Papua New Guinea might be the least likely place to spot world leaders shaking hands.

30. Papua New Guinea: Hosting a regional summit in the least likely of locations.

31. In recent history, western New Guinea was included in the Dutch East Indies colony.