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long Papuan peninsula, called the 'Bird's Tail' by the islanders.
    There are Rainforests in the lowland and coastal areas and huge wetland areas around the Sepik and Fly rivers. This extreme landscape means that it is hard for the country to improve transportation infrastructure . In some areas, airplanes are the only way to travel because it is so difficult to travel on land.
    The highest mountain is Mount Wilhelm, which is 4509 metres high. Coral reefs surround Papua New Guinea and they are protected by law. The country is located on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, this is where several tectonic plates meet. There are many active volcanoes and these erupt frequently. Earthquakes are also quite common and they are sometimes accompanied by tsunamis.
    Human bones have been found which have been dated to about 50,000 BC. These ancient people probably migrated from Southeast Asia. Interestingly, the archaeologist Tim Denham says that agriculture was independently developed in the New Guinea highlands around 7000 BC and it is one of the few areas of original plant domestication in the world (Denham, 2003). There was a major migration of Austronesian speaking peoples roughly 2500 years ago. They went to coastal regions and they introduced pottery , pigs, and certain fishing techniques (a study about these people was published by Peter Bellwood in 2006).
    In 1884, Germany took control of the northern half of the country and ruled it as a colony for some decades. This part of the island was known as German New Guinea. In the same year, the southern half was colonised by the United Kingdom and called British New Guinea.
    During World War I, Papua New Guinea was occupied by Australia. A peaceful independence from Australia occurred on 16 September 1975, and today the two countries have a close relationship (Australia is Papua New Guinea’s biggest aid donor). Papua New Guinea became a member of the United Nations on 10 October 1975.
    Papua New Guinea has more languages than any other country in the world. There are over 820 indigenous languages, however most have fewer than 1000 speakers. The most widely spoken language is Enga, with about 200,000 speakers, then Melpa and Huli. The languages of Papua New Guinea are classified into two large groups: Austronesian languages and non-Austronesian (or Papuan languages). There are three official languages for Papua New Guinea: Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin and English.
    Today, there are more than a thousand different cultural groups in Papua New Guinea. Because of this diversity , there are many different styles of cultural expression. Each cultural group has its own artistic traditions, unique dances, types of weapon, costumes, singing styles, music, architecture etc. Most of these different cultural groups have their own language. People typically live in villages and use subsistence farming . In some areas people hunt and collect wild plants (such as yam roots) to supplement their diets. People who become very good at hunting are respected by the other villagers.
    Travelling in Papua New Guinea can be challenging because there is almost no tourism infrastructure and there is limited information available in books and on websites. However, this is exactly why travellers find this country so interesting. The natural beauty and collection of cultures offer some incredible experiences to travellers.
    Click here to see a short video on Papua New Guinea
     
    Glossary
    occupies – ‘to occupy’, to fill or take up a space. besetzen
    tip – the pointed or rounded end or extremity of something. Spitze
    provinces – a division of a country. Provinzen
    diverse – something with lots of variety and different parts. vielfältig
    rugged – having a broken, rocky, and uneven surface. schroff
    populous - having a large population; densely populated. einwohnerstark, dicht besiedelt
    infrastructure – buildings, roads, airports etc. Infrastruktur
    tectonic plates – the rock which makes the Earth’s