PAPUA

mainly from English as well as German, Portuguese, Melanesian
and their own local languages. Tok Pisin, which later spread to
New Guinea, provided an important channel of communication
between the various tribes of the island, who up until then had
been entrenched within the narrow linguistic boundaries of
their tribal group. This often created problems and conflicts as
it made it difficult for differences to be resolved. The country’s
schools play a role that is much more than educational, that of
enabling communication, as the common use of English brings
neighbouring and also distant tribes into contact with each
other.
The economy is agrarian and the majority of the inhabitants
farm with, literally, primitive means. The Highlanders were
amongst the first farmers in history and the social structure
of their settlements is based on a particular form of equality,
most likely even older than most Western democracies. Much
has remained unchanged in their lives: cultivation of the sweet
potato has been the basis of their economy for the past 300
years. Prior to this they had grown primarily taro but the sweet
potato, which had been imported from Indonesia, could grow
on almost all grounds and provide two to four harvests a year.
Its cultivation thus led to greater productivity and, consequently,
to greater wealth: with the production surplus the Highlanders
bought pigs, which they then used to marry a hard-working
wife who would help them grow even more sweet potatoes.
The entire economic activity thus acquired another dynamic as
commercial exchange now became a part of daily life: pigs and
sweet potatoes were often exchanged for salt, blades, animal
skins, etc. Furthermore, jewellery, weapons and ritual objects
were often exchanged, thus bringing closer together tribes that
were enemies but yet still shared common ritual practices, and
maintaining – on rare occasions – a fragile peace to the region.
THE COUNTRY
The island state of Papua New Guinea is located to the north
of Australia and includes the east section of the island of New
Guinea, with the west section, the region of Irian Jaya, belonging
to Indonesia. Papua New Guinea includes numerous islands
and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the island
groups of New Ireland, New Britain, the Admiralty Islands, the
Solomon Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago. Many of these
are volcanic.
The country covers an area of 462,840 square kilometres and,
along with the east section, is the world’s second largest island
after Greenland and perhaps also the highest, with mountain
ranges over 5,000 metres in altitude. The island was created
by the crashing together of the tectonic plates of Eurasia and
Australia. Approximately 80% of the hinterland is covered by
tropical forests, with equatorial vegetation. In the country’s
almost virgin natural environment countless species of flora
and fauna find a refuge, both Asian and Australian in origin as
well as endemic species, the catalogue of which is constantly
growing as there are many regions that are still being explored
or remain completely unexplored. The island also has the
world’s richest bird fauna, with over 700 species and almost all
the known species of birds of paradise (of the 42 species in the
world, the island has 38), as well as the largest variety of orchids
in the world.
Both the climate and the particular geology of New Guinea as
well as the minimal human intervention into the environment –
the industrial revolution never arrived here – have contributed
to the development of one of the world’s most important
ecosystems, with a huge biodiversity: almost 19% of the world’s
species of flora and fauna find refuge on the island. As might
be expected, the country remains unexplored to a great extent,
both from a natural and a cultural perspective. It is considered
a paradise for botanists, zoologists and anthropologists. Every
so often a new species of plant or animal is discovered in the
depths of the New Guinea jungle, or a new social structure
thousands of years old is located in some unexplored mountain
settlement, transporting researchers into the past, literally into
the object of their study.
We could say that the New Guinea hinterland is divided by
steep mountain ranges which cannot be reached by road, aside
from a few ad hoc footpaths created during the Second World
War. Only by flying, sailing or hiking can one approach these
parts. Despite the isolation, the broader area of the Highlands,
as they are known, and the central mountain valleys in
particular are the most fertile and densely-populated parts of
the country, aside, of course, from the few urban centres.
The country is crossed by a dense network of rivers, which
flow from the central mountain regions and discharge into
the Pacific coasts. The largest rivers are the Sepik in the north,
which crosses the country flowing in the direction of the
Bismarck Sea, the Fly in the south, which discharges in the Gulf
of Papua, and the Ramu. These rivers are for their greater parts
navigable, offering an important alternative route for accessing
the most central regions of the hinterland.
The climate is tropical, humid and warm, with an average
temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. At the higher altitudes the
climate is almost equatorial mountain, whilst rainfall is heavy
and frequent everywhere.
The country has a population of approximately 6,000,000,
with only 17% of the total residing in the urban centres. Port
Moresby, the capital, is the most densely populated town in
Papua New Guinea, with over 270,000 inhabitants, and the
country’s largest port and its international airport. Other large
urban centres are Lae, with approximately 115,000 inhabitants,
and Madang, with 33,000 inhabitants on the northeast coasts.
Demographically, it has a rapidly rising population, relatively
short life expectancy and high birth rate.
There are low levels of production, serving primarily the
subsistence needs of the inhabitants and leaving little margin
for even limited exports. The main crops are coffee, cocoa,
papaya, coconuts, rubber, etc. Even so, despite the country’s
very low GDP and its minimal per capita income (only 1,294
US dollars), Papua New Guinea has an incredibly rich subsoil
with significant deposits of resources, such as gold, natural
gas, cobalt, oil, silver, copper, etc. Of these, gold and silver are
exported to neighbouring countries. The country is a member
of the British Commonwealth and the head of state is Queen
Elizabeth II, her role being purely symbolic. Executive power is
in the hands of the prime minister, whilst legislative power lies
with the National Parliament, which has 109 elected members.
THE HISTORY
The island state of Papua New Guinea is located to the north
of Australia and includes the east section of the island of New
Guinea, with the west section, the region of Irian Jaya, belonging
to Indonesia. Papua New Guinea includes numerous islands
and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the island
groups of New Ireland, New Britain, the Admiralty Islands, the
Solomon Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago. Many of these
are volcanic.
The country covers an area of 462,840 square kilometres and,
along with the east section, is the world’s second largest island
after Greenland and perhaps also the highest, with mountain
ranges over 5,000 metres in altitude. The island was created
by the crashing together of the tectonic plates of Eurasia and
Australia. Approximately 80% of the hinterland is covered by
tropical forests, with equatorial vegetation. In the country’s
almost virgin natural environment countless species of flora
and fauna find a refuge, both Asian and Australian in origin as
well as endemic species, the catalogue of which is constantly
growing as there are many regions that are still being explored
or remain completely unexplored. The island also has the
world’s richest bird fauna, with over 700 species and almost all
the known species of birds of paradise (of the 42 species in the
world, the island has 38), as well as the largest variety of orchids
in the world.
The climate and the particular geology of New Guinea as
well as the minimal human intervention into the environment
have contributed to the development of one of the world’s most
important ecosystems, with a huge biodiversity: almost 19%
of the world’s species of flora and fauna find refuge on the
island. As might be expected, the country remains unexplored
to a great extent, both from a natural and a cultural perspective.
It is considered a paradise for botanists, zoologists and
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