It is a condition of use that you read the Disclaimer notice.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement no 320298
Wikipedia |
| Papua New Guinea (PNG; /ˈpæpə njuː ˈɡɪniː/ PAP-pə-new-GHIN-ee; Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini; Hiri Motu: Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an Oceanian country that occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. Its capital, located along its southeastern coast, is Port Moresby. The western half of New Guinea forms the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.
Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. According to recent data, 848 different languages are listed for the country, of which 12 have no known living speakers.[7] There may be at least as many traditional societies, out of a population of about 6.3 million. It is also one of the most rural, as only 18% of its people live in urban centres.[8] The country is one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically, and many undiscovered species of plants and animals are thought to exist in the interior.[9]
Strong growth in Papua New Guinea's mining and resource sector has led to the country's becoming the sixth fastest-growing economy in the world as of 2011.[10] Despite this, many people live in extreme poverty, with about one-third of the population living on less than US$1.25 per day.[11] The majority of the population still live in traditional societies and practice subsistence-based agriculture. These societies and clans are explicitly acknowledged within the nation's constitutional framework. The Papua New Guinea Constitution expresses the wish for "traditional villages and communities to remain as viable units of Papua New Guinean society"[12] and for active steps to be taken in their preservation.
After being ruled by three external powers since 1884, Papua New Guinea established its sovereignty in 1975 following 70 years of Australian administration. It became a separate Commonwealth realm with Queen Elizabeth II becoming its head of state.
Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea |