What does the island of new guinea look like. Papua New Guinea

, 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 eastern part the islands of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the northern part of the Solomon Islands (the islands of Bougainville, Buka), the islands of D'Antrekasto and others. The area is 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 population - Christians, 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. Legislature- 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. The northeastern part was at first a colony of Germany 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 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), the northern part of the Solomon Islands located to the east (with largest islands with Bougainville and Buka), located southeast of the main island D "Antrecasto, Murua (Woodlark), Trobriand, the Louisiade archipelago, as well as other nearby islands and reefs (over 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 high-pressure metamorphic rocks.

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

Dense rainforests, formed by hundreds of tree species, rise up 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 have economic importance: their wood is a valuable building 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.

New Guinea

It is located in the western part, at a distance of 150 km north of Australia, from which it is separated by the Torres Strait. From the southern part, the island is washed by two seas: and.

New Guinea is the second largest island in the world (leading off Greenland). The total area of ​​the island is 829 thousand km2. The population of the island is just over three million people. At the moment, the territory of the island belongs to two states: Indonesia (western part of New Guinea - province of Irian Jaya) and Papua New Guinea (southeastern part islands). At the same time, the western part of the island is considered Asia, and the eastern part is Oceania.

New Guinea coastlines are uneven. From the western and eastern parts, they are rather strongly indented by the bays of Sarera, Berau and Huon. From the northern part, the coast is high, often ending in cliffs. In this part of the island there are no large bays protected by the territory of the land. The southern side of New Guinea, on the other hand, has a flat coastline and large bay Papua.

The structure of the coastline of New Guinea is due to the features of the relief of the island. Most of it the area is occupied by mountainous hills. The height of individual ridges mountain range, stretching from the eastern to the western part of the island, sometimes reaches 3000 - 4000 m. In the northern part of the island, the height of the mountains is slightly lower - only 1000-2000 m, but on its territory there is a large number of volcanoes, many of which are active. In the southern part there is a plain along which several rivers flow.

The island is located near the equator and has tropical climate, which causes a wide variety of plant and animal species on it. There are more than 11,000 species of plants, more than 1,500 species of birds, amphibians and mammals.

They occupy approximately 250 thousand square kilometers, they are islands of coral-limestone origin. Limestones directly occur at a depth of about one and a half thousand meters. The Bahamas archipelago includes about seven hundred islands and reefs. Andros is the largest island in the archipelago. On the islands, karst landforms are very common (that is, deep removal of limestone rocks with further flooding with water or bending down of the relief). [...]

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Papua New Guinea is a state in Oceania, the main territory of which is located in the east of the island of New Guinea and neighboring, smaller islands (New Britain, New Ireland, etc.). It is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its seas: Arafura and Coral.

The name of the country is formed from two parts: "Papua", which in Malay means "the land of people with curly hair" (as the Malays called the locals, whose hair is mostly straight) and "New Guinea" - because of the dark the skin color of the natives, which seemed to Europeans similar to the skin color of the natives from African Guinea.

It occupies the eastern half of New Guinea (this part of the country is considered the "mainland"), the Bismarck archipelago (with the large islands of New Britain and New Ireland), the Bougainville and Buka islands in the Solomon Islands chain, the Louisiade archipelagos, D "Entrecasteaux, Trobriand and a number of smaller islands.The territories that are now part of the state were formerly divided into two administrative units: Papua (the southeastern region of New Guinea with adjacent islands), which belonged to Australia, and the northeastern part of New Guinea with nearby islands, which had UN Trust Territory status and administered by Australia.

In 1949, both parts were integrated by the Australian authorities into the so-called. administrative union. This association in 1971 was named Papua New Guinea, and in 1973 acquired internal self-government. On September 16, 1973, the independence of the country was proclaimed. Papua New Guinea is a member of the UN and the British Commonwealth. Area 462,840 sq. km. The population is 4599.8 thousand people (1998). The capital is Port Moresby on the southeast coast of New Guinea.

Probably the first settlers arrived in the region of present-day Papua New Guinea by sea from South-East Asia OK. 30 thousand years ago, when New Guinea, Australia and Tasmania were connected land bridges and constituted a single landmass. These people, speakers of the Papuan languages, were engaged in hunting and gathering, and much later, perhaps, began to cultivate and grow some plants. The second significant wave of population migration occurred about 6 thousand years ago. Newcomers who spoke Austronesian languages ​​introduced more advanced economic and cultural traditions. In New Guinea, they set about clearing wet rainforest and draining swamps in intermountain basins to cultivate sweet potatoes, taro and other crops brought from Southeast Asia. There appeared highly specialized communities of potters, salt-workers, canoe builders, and stonemasons. The inhabitants of the coastal regions were skilled navigators and regularly traveled in large canoes to distant islands, offering their products and jewelry there. The shores of New Guinea became known to Portuguese and Spanish merchants on their way to the East Indies from the 16th century. They were followed by Dutch, French and English expeditions. The number of foreign ships entering these waters increased in connection with the founding of the British colony in Australia at the end of the 18th century. and the development of whaling in the Pacific in the 19th century. In 1847, Catholic missionaries settled on the island of Murua (Woodlark), located in the Solomon Sea, and traders and travelers established contacts with many coastal tribes.

However, for a long time, Europeans could not penetrate into the interior of New Guinea with its rugged terrain, dense forests and vast swamps - breeding grounds for malaria. In addition, the locals had a bad reputation as cannibals. In 1872, the London Missionary Society founded a mission on the islands in the Torres Strait, and then - on south coast New Guinea. The Wesleyan Methodist Mission was established in the Duke of York Islands in 1875, and the Catholic Mission in the east of New Britain in 1882. fishing for pearls and shells or rushed to search for the legendary gold South Seas. Although Melanesians from the Solomon Islands and the New Hebrides were mainly hired to work on the plantations of Queensland, Fiji and Samoa, the recruiters did not ignore the inhabitants of the coastal and inland regions of modern Papua New Guinea. Australia showed increased interest in this territory, and in 1883 Queensland annexed the eastern part of New Guinea, ostensibly acting on behalf of Great Britain.

Rainwater and underground streams combined underground to create a maze of tunnels known as Ora Cave in Papua New Guinea. (Stephen Alvarez, National Geographic)

However, due to pressure from Australia and taking into account Germany's intentions to create its own Pacific empire, Great Britain in 1884 captured the southeastern part of New Guinea from neighboring islands and established a colony there called British New Guinea. Germany annexed to her empire the northeastern part of New Guinea and the islands to the east of it; This colony was named German New Guinea. The German administration tried to establish trade with its colony, but commercial production projects were hampered by malaria and difficulties in appeasing local tribes and hiring labor, especially in the coastal lowlands. Nevertheless, German companies launched the production of copra on plantations in the Bismarck archipelago. Then plantations appeared on the island of Bougainville. The German colonial authorities treated the Melanesians strictly and even harshly, but at the same time they sought to impart practical knowledge to them. The German Catholic and Protestant missionaries were guided by the idea that their efforts would contribute to the "enlightenment" of the natives.

Missionaries also intensified their activities in British New Guinea, which was considered an unpromising territory. In 1888, gold was found in the Louisiade archipelago, and hundreds of Australian prospectors rushed to the interior of New Guinea. In the 1920s, rich gold-bearing placers were discovered along the Bulolo River. In 1906, British New Guinea was ceded to Australia and renamed the Territory of Papua. Her affairs from 1908 to 1940 were handled by Governor Hubert Murray. At the start of World War I in 1914, German New Guinea was occupied by Australian troops. At the end of the war, Australia received a mandate from the League of Nations to administer the former German colony, which became known as the Territory of New Guinea. German plantations and trading companies also passed into Australian ownership.

The plantation economy in this mandate, unlike Papua, developed successfully until the economic crisis of the 1930s. In the next 20 years, prospectors, missionaries and government officials rushed into the vast intermountain valleys of New Guinea. The population of the coastal regions and the islands, who were mainly engaged in subsistence farming, gradually began to introduce cash crops into circulation. However, the development of commodity-money circulation was more facilitated by men who were hired to work on plantations or gold mines for modest wages and food. The religious missions provided the Melanesians with some education and medical care. Before the Second World War, all these changes gradually occurred in the plains, but little affected the mountainous regions.

In 1942, the Japanese troops captured the northern part of New Guinea, part of the Bismarck archipelago and the island of Bougainville. They occupied some areas for four years. The rest of what is now Papua New Guinea remained under Australian control. During the war, over a million Australian and American troops visited New Guinea. Part of the indigenous population, especially in the Sepik valley and Bougainville, suffered greatly due to military operations and bombing.

Killed American soldiers in Papua New Guinea.

In some places, for example, on Manus Island, large military bases were placed. The inhabitants of the mountainous regions were little affected by the war. After the war, the northeastern part of New Guinea came under the administration of Australia as a UN Trust Territory, and in 1949 was merged with Papua. The new administrative unit was named Papua New Guinea.

Australia tried to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country and improve the welfare of the Melanesian population. Measures were taken to strengthen centralized management with the participation of representatives of the local population. Special attention was given to overpopulated mountainous areas, contacts with which were established relatively recently. In 1953, the first road was built from the coast through the Kassam Pass to the mountains. The administration sought to improve the systems of medical care and education, and religious missions carried out considerable work in this direction. In 1964, general elections were held and a Legislative Assembly was formed, where most of the seats were taken by the natives. New government institutions arose, and old ones were transformed.

Laws that infringed on the rights of the Melanesians were repealed. In the same 1964, the University of Papua New Guinea opened in Port Moresby. In the 1970s and 1980s, the main lever economic development country has become a mining industry. In 1972, the exploitation of copper and gold deposits began in Bougainville, where the plantation economy was replaced by a more modern industry with advanced technologies. Similar trends have emerged in some other areas of Papua New Guinea, where new roads, cities and ports have been built. In 1967, the national political party "Pangu Pati" was founded. After the 1972 elections, it formed a coalition government headed by Michael T. Somare, which resolutely sought to grant the country independence. This goal was reached on September 16, 1975.

Laguna Madang is the largest on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The political situation in the young state became more complicated in connection with the separatist movement on the island of Bougainville. The roots of this movement date back to 1884, when Germany annexed part of the Solomon Islands to its colony of New Guinea, breaking the ethno-linguistic ties of the population of this archipelago. Separatist sentiments hovered in the air for many years and manifested themselves on the eve of the declaration of independence of Papua New Guinea. The creation of the provincial government of the Northern Solomon Islands in 1976 defused the situation, but did not solve the problem itself. The situation worsened in connection with the construction of a giant complex for the extraction of copper ore in Bougainville. The reason for the armed conflict that broke out in 1988 was initially the dissatisfaction of local landowners with the amount of compensation received from the Bougainville Copper mining company. Other claims followed, and eventually a demand was made for Bougainville's independence. As a result of clashes between the local population and the army units and the police of Papua New Guinea, 15-20 thousand people were killed on both sides. Repeated attempts to achieve calm in the area for a long time remained without results. Only in 1998 did peace negotiations begin and there was hope for their successful completion.

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 Fly River. By sea, it borders Australia (to the south), the Solomon Islands (to the southeast), Nauru (to the east) and the federated states Micronesia (in the north).

The island of New Guinea and most of the country's other islands are mountainous. The height of a significant part of the territory is more than 1000 m above sea level, and some peaks of New Guinea reach 4500 m, that is, the belt of eternal snow. Many of the mountain ranges are chains of volcanoes. In Papua New Guinea 18 active volcanoes. Most of them are located in the north of the country. WITH volcanic activity strong, sometimes catastrophic earthquakes are also associated.

The main ranges of the eastern part of the island of New Guinea begin with a strip of 50 km directly from the border with Indonesia (the Star Mountains, which are a continuation of the Snowy Mountains), gradually expanding to 250 km in the central part (the Central Range, the Bismarck Range with the country's highest point - Mount Wilhelm - 4509 m high, Schroeder Ridge, Muller Ridge and others). Further to the southeast, the mountains become narrower and lower (pass into the Owen Stanley Range, from maximum height 4072 - Mount Victoria) and at the southeastern tip of the island are submerged under water. Some peaks rise above the water forming the Luizada archipelago. The northern slopes of these mountains are steep, while the southern slopes are gentle. The southern foothill zone of the Central Range is commonly referred to as the Papua Plateau. The closer to the sea, the lower this plateau is, and gradually turns into a swampy lowland.

Parallel to the central mountains, the low spurs of the Northern Coastal Mountains enter the territory of Papua New Guinea from Indonesia: partly the Bevani Mountains (up to 1960 m high), the Torricelli Mountains ( highest point- Mount Sulen, 1650 m high), Prince Alexander Mountains (the highest point is Mount Turu, 1240 m high). Coastal mountains end in lowlands (valleys of the Sepik and Ramu rivers). As part of these mountains, the Adelbert Mountains (the highest point is Mount Mengam, 1718 m high), lying on the right bank of the Ramu River near the mouth, as well as the Finistere and Saruvaged Mountains located on the Huon Peninsula, with a maximum height of 4121 m (Mount Bangeta ). In addition to the main island, there are significant ridges on the islands of New Britain (Whiteman Ridge, Nakani and Baining Mountains, with a maximum height of 2334 m - Ulawun Volcano) and New Ireland (Scheinitz and Worron Ranges, with heights up to 2340 m).

The national cuisine of Papua New Guinea is a rather colorful mixture of culinary traditions various peoples of Oceania and Southeast Asia. As a rule, the basis of most dishes are various root vegetables and meats such as pork and various poultry (including game).
One of the most common dishes among the local population is "mumu", which is an oven-cooked stew of pork, sweet potatoes, rice and several local herbs. The first is usually served with "bugandi" - a simple soup seasoned with eggs. In coastal regions, meat dishes are usually replaced by various types of fish, which are caught in abundance in the seas that wash the shores of Papua New Guinea. In most cases, rice or sorghum is a side dish for meat or fish, yams and a peculiar taste of taro cereal are also popular.

As appetizers before the main course, various salads made from vegetables and those root crops that can be eaten raw are popular. Bread is often replaced with specially fried breadfruit.
For dessert, a variety of fruits are offered - from bananas and mangoes to passion fruit and pineapples. Also popular is the dessert "dia" - sliced ​​​​bananas, sago and coconut cream. Sago is also used to make sweet pies with various fillings. Sweet sugarcane stalks are especially popular in coastal areas.
You can quench your thirst in Papua New Guinea with local lemonade (“muli-wara”), good local coffee or an incredible variety of fresh fruit juices, including those made from a mixture of various fruits.
European cuisine is distributed mainly in the capital of the country, Port Moresby, and in the areas of the main tourist routes.

Port Moresby is the capital of New Guinea, it is a city that is located in the southeastern part of the young island of New Guinea. In addition to being the capital of the state of Papua New Guinea, it is also the center of the Port Moresby district.

In general, the population here consists of Melanesians and Papuans. official language recognized as pidgin English (adapted English). Despite this, more than 700 languages ​​are spoken here, and this is not counting the various dialects. The thing is that the tribal system thrives on the island, and the language directly depends on belonging to a particular tribe. In addition to the indigenous population, Europeans and Australians also live in Port Moresby.
Christianity flourishes in the city. According to statistics, 30% of the population are Catholics, 60% are Protestants. The remaining 10% consider themselves atheists or profess an animistic faith.

The city was founded in 1873 when John Moresby arrived on the island. The Englishman liked the beautiful and quiet bay and he named it after his own. So this untouched area became Port Moresby.

In 1884 the future capital of papua new guinea became part of New Guinea, which at that time was a colony of Great Britain. Further, the colony of Papua came under the rule of Australia, and only after 43 years merged with New Guinea. In 1964, the first elections were held, as a result of which the Aboriginal people gained power. Opened in the same year National University Papua New Guinea. In 1975, the young state became completely independent and began to actively develop. Port Moresby became the capital of Papua New Guinea.

The central part of the city, along which the port line runs, is simply called by the locals - Town. Ela Beach Park is located in the southern part of the city. Architectural monuments are mainly located in the center, in the historical part. They stand out strongly among modern buildings. For example, between office buildings and hotels, it’s hard not to notice El’s church, built in 1890.

Government buildings, as well as the business part of the city, are located in the north. There is also a large sports center. He has been working here since 1980.
Cultural assets include the National University and the Papua New Guinea Museum. The flag is as unusual as the capital itself: a black ship is painted on a yellow background, symbolizing the port city. Under it, the name of the city - Port Moresby - is displayed in black letters.

locals not only honor their city, but also try to develop it in every possible way, so the service is well developed on the island and tourist vacation.

Population- 6.1 million (July 2010 estimate)

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% of men, 51% of 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 %

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

Languages ​​- official: Tok Pisin (the most common), English (knows 1%), Hiri Motu (knows 2%). Over 800 indigenous languages.

Religions - Roman Catholic 27%, Lutheran 19.5%, One Church 11.5%, Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8 .9%, Baha'is 0.3%, Aboriginal and other faiths 3.3% (according to the 2000 census).

In Papua New Guinea, the majority of the population still lives in villages and engages in subsistence farming, while markets are beginning to take shape. Some of the agricultural products are produced for sale. The number of people employed in the mining and manufacturing industries and in the service sector is growing. The slash-and-burn system of agriculture dominates, focused on the cultivation of tropical starch plants, primarily tubers. New areas are cleared and cultivated every year, and the land set aside for fallow after harvesting is again overgrown with shrubs. In mountainous areas, the main crop is sweet potato. Yams, bananas, taro, coconut palms and a variety of vegetables and fruits are also grown in the lowlands. To prepare land for farming, the men cut and burn trees and shrubs during the dry season, while the women are responsible for sowing, weeding and harvesting. Mixed crops are practiced when several different crops are grown on the same plot. IN mountainous areas slope terracing is carried out to regulate surface runoff, reduce soil erosion on steep slopes and extend the growing season. Many tribes, engaged in field work, perform rituals in the hope of a rich harvest. Plots are usually fenced off from pigs. These animals are looked after by women and children, although the status of a man in society is determined precisely by the number of pigs he owns.

Pork is eaten exclusively on holidays. It is customary to allocate land plots to members of the community for only one growing season, and after harvesting, return them to the property of the clan or clan. This traditional land use system does not fit the cultivation of such perennial tree and shrub crops as chocolate and coffee trees, coconut and oil palms, tea, which grow in one place for 20-50 years. After the Second World War, the Australian authorities stimulated the development of commodity production in the countryside, which in many areas was combined with the traditional farming system. As a result, small farms outperform plantation farms, which were leaders in the colonial period, in terms of production. At present, coconut palms are grown in the coastal lowlands of New Guinea and other islands, from the nuts of which copra is obtained, and in the north of New Guinea and on a larger scale in New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville, the chocolate tree.

In 1997, palm oil from New Britain ranked second in terms of value (after coffee) in agricultural exports. Coffee, the main commodity in the highlands, was introduced to the culture and became widespread in the 1950s. Another important commodity is exported from the mountainous regions - tea. All market trees and shrubs are grown both on small farms and on plantations, originally created with foreign investment, but gradually being taken over by local cooperative associations. The production of cocoa, coffee, tea and palm oil requires machinery that is usually available only to large plantation-type enterprises. The cultivation of pyrethrum at altitudes above 1,800 m, the production of fruits and vegetables for city bazaars, and animal husbandry are of secondary commercial importance. A special place is occupied by the culture of betel, which has a stimulating effect on humans and is highly valued in local markets. The country has exceptionally rich mineral resources, which led to the development of the mining industry, which in 1996 provided 27% of GDP, i.e. about the same as agriculture, forestry and fisheries combined. Large-scale mining of copper and gold began in Pangun on Bougainville Island in 1972.

Ore reserves were estimated at 800 million tons, with a copper content of 0.46% and gold - 15.83 g per 1 ton. Production was carried out by the Bougainville Copper company, owned by the Konzinc Riotinto international monopoly. The huge Ok-Tedi copper deposit in the northwestern part of the mountainous New Guinea is estimated at 250 million tons (in 1 ton of copper ore 0.852% and gold 0.653 g). In the late 1980s, gold mining began at Porgera near Ok Tedi, on Misima Island off the southeast coast of New Guinea, and on Lihir Island off the coast of New Ireland. According to experts, Papua New Guinea can become the world's largest supplier of gold (displacing South Africa). Porgera is already in the top ten producing gold deposits in the world. Any disruption to the mining industry has a profound effect on the entire economy of Papua New Guinea. Due to the closure of the mine in Bougainville in 1989, an armed conflict broke out between local separatists and the central government, which could not come to terms with the loss of an important source of income. In 1997, due to a severe drought, the surface runoff in the Fly River basin, through which the products of the Ok-Tedi and Porgera deposits are transported, sharply decreased. Oil and natural gas reserves have been discovered in Papua New Guinea.

The first project for a gas pipeline to Australia has been proposed and other projects are likely to follow. About 60% of the energy used in the country comes from charcoal, 35% from imported petroleum products, and only 5% from hydropower. In recent years, foreign companies, mainly Asian ones, have been engaged in logging. In 1994, when world timber prices soared, timber products accounted for 19% of Papua New Guinea's exports. They are almost entirely intended for the Japanese and South Korean markets, and therefore economic crisis covering Asian countries in the second half of the 1990s, led to a marked decrease in the income received by Papua New Guinea through this industry. The beauty of the nature of Papua New Guinea and the originality of the cultures of the peoples inhabiting it should also be considered as a potential resource for the development of foreign tourism. Undoubtedly, this country is more promising for the development of tourism than the Cook Islands or Samoa.

• 1 Geography
• 2 Flora and fauna
  • 2.1 "Garden of Eden"
• 3 History
  • 3.1 Early history
  • 3.2 Discovery by Europeans
  • 3.3 Colonial era
  • 3.4 World War II
  • 3.5 Independence
• 4 See also
• 5 Notes
• 6 Literature

Geography

Located in the western Pacific Ocean, the island of New Guinea is located to the north of Australia (separated from it by the Torres Strait) and is its link with Asia. In terms of physical geography, it usually refers to Oceania. Politically, the island is divided approximately equally between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, so the western Indonesian part is often part of Asia politically and economically. The island is the largest island divided between countries.

Rising in the western part mountain range Maoke, whose highest peak under the name of Puncak Jaya reaches 4884 m above sea level. In the east are the Bismarck Mountains, whose highest point - Mount Wilhelm - has 4509 m. long river island is the Sepik River.

Flora and fauna

New Guinea is a tropical island and therefore has a very large variety of species. It is home to 11,000 plant species, 600 unique bird species, over 400 amphibian species, 455 butterfly species, and about a hundred known mammal species.

"Garden of Eden"

In 2005, a group of American researchers discovered a place in the rainforests of the mountainous region of New Guinea, which they called the "Garden of Eden".

This area of ​​about 300 thousand hectares is located on the slopes of the Foggia Mountains in the western part of New Guinea and was isolated from the influence of the outside world.

Scientists have discovered more than 20 previously unknown species of frogs, four new species of butterflies, five species of palm trees unknown to science, and many other plants in the Garden of Eden. Several species of the rarest marsupials were found - tree kangaroos, as well as the six-feathered "bird of paradise" Berlepsha, previously considered extinct.

All animals - the inhabitants of the highlands - are not afraid of humans, in particular, the rare long-beaked prochidna allowed scientists to pull themselves together.

Story

Early history

In ancient times, New Guinea was connected to Australia. The division occurred as a result of rising global sea levels relatively recently. This explains the presence in New Guinea of ​​numerous species of marsupials living in Australia. Human settlement occurred at least 45 thousand years BC. e. from Asia. Subsequently, more than a thousand Papuan-Melanesian tribes descended from the settlers. The absence of large animals suitable for domestication on the island hindered the development of agriculture and made cattle breeding impossible. This contributed to the preservation of the primitive communal system in large areas of New Guinea up to the present day. The diversity of languages ​​and many tribes was due to the isolation of people from each other due to the mountainous landscape and the lack of technical means to promote communication and cultural exchange.

On the territory of New Guinea, there is an ancient agricultural settlement of Kuka, showing the isolated development of agriculture over 7-10 millennia and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Discovery by Europeans

New Guinea was discovered by Spanish and Portuguese navigators at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1526, the Portuguese don Jorge de Menezes landed on the northwestern coast of the island, according to legend, he called the lands he discovered Ilhas dos Papuas - “Papua Islands”, from the Malay word meaning “curly”; apparently, he was referring to the coarse, curly hair of the Melanesian natives.

Later, in 1545, the Spaniard Iñigo Ortiz de Retes passed by the island and named it "New Guinea", because the coast reminded him of the coast of African Guinea, which he had seen before. Even later, Spanish merchants began to export gold, silver, coconuts, rubber and precious tree species from New Guinea.

A significant contribution to the study of the peoples of New Guinea was made by the Russian scientist and traveler N. N. Miklukho-Maclay, who worked on the island in the 70s - 80s of the XIX century.

The era of colonialism

In 1828, as the first European power, the Netherlands acquired western peninsula Vogelkop. 1884 the rest of the island was divided between the Netherlands, Great Britain and the German Empire. The Netherlands left the western half of New Guinea, the British acquired the southeast, the Germans - the northeast, which they called Kaiser Wilhelm Land. The British part was given to Australia in 1906, and the German part after the First World War became an Australian mandate of the League of Nations.

The Second World War

During World War II, the island was occupied by Japan. Rejected by the atrocities of the Japanese military, the Papuans helped the Allied forces as best they could, transporting equipment and the wounded across the island. After the war, Indonesia, which became independent in 1949, laid claim to the western part of New Guinea, which, however, remained under the administration of the Netherlands.

Independence

From 1957, the Netherlands and Australia began to make plans for the independence of a united New Guinea in the 70s. In 1961, elections were held in the western part and a parliament was created. Not wanting this political development, Indonesia in response to this introduced its troops and announced the annexation of the western half of the island to Indonesia. After that, mass deportations of the Papuan population began, followed by settlers from Java. It is assumed that as a result of the "ethnic cleansing" of western New Guinea, about 300,000 Papuans have died to this day. 1975 in the eastern part of Australia gave independence to the state of Papua New Guinea.

see also

• new guinea singing dog
• Mangroves of New Guinea

Notes

1. New Guinea // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.

Literature

• Myths and legends of the Papuans marind-anim. Collected by prof. P. Wirtz and G. Neverman / Per. with him. G. L. Permyakova, M. S. Kharitonova. Ed. B. N. Putilova. - M.: Nauka, 1981. - 350 p. - Series "Tales and myths of the peoples of the East".
• Tales and myths of the Kiwai Papuans (from the collection of G. Landtman) / Comp. and trans. R. L. Rybkina. - M.: Nauka, Main edition of Eastern literature, 1977. - 328 p. - Series "Tales and myths of the peoples of the East".
• Sons of Dehevoy. Tales of demons and tales of bounty hunters. Collected by prof. G. Neverman / Per. with him. G. Permyakova. Ed. S. A. Tokareva. - M.: Publishing House of Eastern Literature, 1960. - 336 p.
• Butinov N. A. Papuans of New Guinea. - M.: Nauka, 1968. - 254 p.
• Butinov N. A. The peoples of Papua New Guinea. From a tribal system to an independent state. - St. Petersburg: Center "Petersburg Oriental Studies", 2000. - 384 p.
• Volnevich Janusz. The natives of Oceania. According to Papua New Guinea / Ed. K.V. Malakhovskiy. - M.: Nauka, 1976. - 214 p. - A series of "Journey through the countries of the East."
• Damm Hans. The Kanaka are the people of the southern seas. - M.: Nauka, 1964. - 364 p. - A series of "Journey through the countries of the East."
• Ignatiev G. M. Tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean / Reviewers: Dr. Geogr. Sciences T. V. Vlasova, Ph.D. geogr. Sciences G. N. Grigoriev. - M.: Thought, 1979. - 272, p. - 56,000 copies. (in trans.)
• Lundqvist Eric. Savages live in the west / Per. from the Swedish L. Zhdanova. - M.: Geografgiz, 1958. - 376 p.
• Malakhovskiy K.V. Island of birds of paradise. History of Papua New Guinea. - M.: Nauka, 1976. - 192 p. - Series "Peoples of the World".
• Miklukho-Maclay N. N. Journey to the Maclay Coast / Ed. N. A. Butinova. - M. Geografgiz, 1956. - 416 p.
• Mukhin G.I. Australia and Oceania. - Ed. 2nd, revised. and additional - M.: Enlightenment, 1967. - 376 p.
• On the banks of Maclay. Ethnographic essays. Institute of Ethnography im. N. N. Miklukho-Maclay. - M.: Nauka, 1975. - 327 p.
• Oceania. Directory / Rep. ed. Malakhovskiy K. V. and V. P. Nikolaev. - Ed. 2nd, revised. and additional - M.: Nauka, 1982. - 384 p.
• Putilov B. N. Songs of the Southern Seas / Ed. ed. E. M. Meletinsky. - M.: Nauka, 1978. - 184 p. - Series "From the history of world culture".
• Putilov B. N. Myth - rite - song of New Guinea. Studies in folklore and mythology of the East. - M.: Nauka, 1980. - 381 p.
• Reed Kenneth. mountain valley. - M.: Nauka, Main edition of Eastern literature, 1970. - 296 p. - A series of "Journey through the countries of the East."
• Falk-Renne Arne. Trip to stone Age: Among the tribes of New Guinea / Ed. M. A. Chlenova. - M.: Nauka, 1985. - 192 p. - A series of "Stories about the countries of the East."
• Hastings P., New Guinea,

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From time immemorial, Russian and foreign sailors began to explore the islands located in the Pacific Ocean. These natural complexes are 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 wildlife, 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, the most high mountain considered Wilhelm, 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. Last eruption 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 important tasks and decisions are not made.

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, after which they sell them 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. The summer temperature regime fluctuates between +30...+32 °С, slightly decreasing at night.

The southern part of the mainland is under the rule of the subequatorial climate 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 central part, heavily flooded with tropical rains.

The rest of the coastal area (lowland) undergoes drought until late autumn. In areas with high mountains and ridges receive a small amount of precipitation, since the hills act as a protective barrier to 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 communications 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. The fauna is represented by 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. Local residents breed animals familiar to our region: pigs, cows, horses, goats and other livestock.

Tourist orientation

Avid travelers know where the island of New Guinea is located, and therefore tend to get here in the summer months to see the colorful and diverse world of the jungle. In warm weather, enchanting festivals with national dances of the natives are organized here. Many are attracted sightseeing vacation V wild jungle With 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 extraordinary colorful world, abounding 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.