PAPUA NEW GUINEA
The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997, after claiming some 20,000 lives.PEOPLEThe indigenous population of Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous in the world. Papua New Guinea has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people. Divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in tribal warfare with their neighbors for centuries. ECONOMYPapua New Guinea is rich in natural resources, including minerals, timber, and fish, and produces a variety of commercial agricultural products. The economy generally can be separated into subsistence and market sectors, although the distinction is blurred by smallholder cash cropping of coffee, cocoa, and copra.HISTORYArcheological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an Ice Age period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. Although the first arrivals were hunters and gatherers, early evidence shows that people managed the forest environment to provide food. There also are indications of gardening having been practiced at the same time that agriculture was developing in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Early garden crops--many of which are indigenous--included sugarcane, Pacific bananas, yams, and taros, while sago and pandanus were two commonly exploited native forest crops. U.S.-PAPUA NEW GUINEA RELATIONSThe United States and Papua New Guinea established diplomatic relations upon the latter's independence on September 16, 1975. The two nations belong to a variety of regional organizations, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum; the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF); the South Pacific Commission; and the South Pacific Regional Environmental Program (SPREP). Full country name: The Independent State of Papua New GuineaArea: 462,840 sq kmPopulation: 5.29 millionPeople: 95% Melanesian, 5% Polynesian, Micronesian, ChineseLanguage: EnglishReligion: 44% Protestant, 22% Catholic and 34% pantheistic beliefsGovernment: democracyHead of Government: Prime Minister Sir Michael SomareGDP: US$11.6 billion GDP per capita: US$2,650Major Industries: Coffee, copper, gold, silver, copra crushing, palm oil processing, loggingMajor Trading Partners: Australia, Japan, USa
The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997, after claiming some 20,000 lives.PEOPLEThe indigenous population of Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous in the world. Papua New Guinea has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people. Divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in tribal warfare with their neighbors for centuries. ECONOMYPapua New Guinea is rich in natural resources, including minerals, timber, and fish, and produces a variety of commercial agricultural products. The economy generally can be separated into subsistence and market sectors, although the distinction is blurred by smallholder cash cropping of coffee, cocoa, and copra.HISTORYArcheological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an Ice Age period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. Although the first arrivals were hunters and gatherers, early evidence shows that people managed the forest environment to provide food. There also are indications of gardening having been practiced at the same time that agriculture was developing in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Early garden crops--many of which are indigenous--included sugarcane, Pacific bananas, yams, and taros, while sago and pandanus were two commonly exploited native forest crops. U.S.-PAPUA NEW GUINEA RELATIONSThe United States and Papua New Guinea established diplomatic relations upon the latter's independence on September 16, 1975. The two nations belong to a variety of regional organizations, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum; the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF); the South Pacific Commission; and the South Pacific Regional Environmental Program (SPREP). Full country name: The Independent State of Papua New GuineaArea: 462,840 sq kmPopulation: 5.29 millionPeople: 95% Melanesian, 5% Polynesian, Micronesian, ChineseLanguage: EnglishReligion: 44% Protestant, 22% Catholic and 34% pantheistic beliefsGovernment: democracyHead of Government: Prime Minister Sir Michael SomareGDP: US$11.6 billion GDP per capita: US$2,650Major Industries: Coffee, copper, gold, silver, copra crushing, palm oil processing, loggingMajor Trading Partners: Australia, Japan, USa
