New Guinea
Political division of New Guinea
Geography
Location	Island north of Australian continent
Coordinates	5°20′S, 141°36′E
Area	786,000 km²(303,500 mi sq)
Highest point	Puncak Jaya 4,884 m (16,023 ft)
Administration
Indonesia
Provinces	Papua West Papua
Papua New Guinea
Provinces	Central Simbu Eastern Highlands East Sepik Enga Gulf Madang Morobe Oro Southern Highlands Western Western Highlands West Sepik Milne Bay National Capital District
Demographics
Population	6.4 million (as of 2000)
Density	8/km²

New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last ice age. The name Papua has also been long-associated with the island (see History below). The western half of the island contains the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, while the eastern half forms the mainland of the independent country of Papua New Guinea. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2205x1149, 86 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: New Guinea User:Astrokey44/maps ... Image File history File links Location map for New Guinea Made from Vardions world blank maps File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Australian continental shelf (light blue) is contiguous with New Guinea, but not with other Pacific islands like New Zealand. ... Puncak Jaya (IPA: /pÊŠn. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Indonesia. ... Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea). ... Map showing West Papua province in Indonesia Map of West Papua West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat; formerly West Irian Jaya or Irian Jaya Barat) is a province of Indonesia on the western end of the island of New Guinea. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Papua_New_Guinea. ... Location of Central Province in Papua New Guinea Central Province is a province in Papua New Guinea located on the southern coast of that country. ... Location of Simbu (Chimbu) Province in Papua New Guinea Simbu, formerly known as Chimbu, is a highland province in Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea Eastern Highlands is a highlands province of Papua New Guinea. ... East Sepik is a province in Papua New Guinea. ... Enga refers to both an ethnic group located in the highlands Papua New Guinea and the province in which they are the majority ethnic group. ... Gulf Province is a province of Papua New Guinea located on the southern coast. ... Location of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea Madang has many of Papua New Guineas highest peaks, its most active volcanos, and its biggest mix of languages (175). ... Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. ... Oro Province, formerly Northern Province, is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Southern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea Southern Highlands is a province in Papua New Guinea. ... Western Province, is a province is a coastal province in southwestern Papua New Guinea, bordering Irian Jaya. ... Location of Western Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea Western Highlands is a province of Papua New Guinea. ... Sandaun Province, formerly known as West Sepik, is the north-westernmost province of Papua New Guinea. ... Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of the National Capital District in Papua New Guinea The National Capital District of Papua New Guinea is the incorporated area around Port Moresby, which is the capital of Papua New Guinea. ... This is a list of islands in the world ordered by area. ... Torres Strait and islands The Torres Strait - Cape York Peninsula is at the bottom; several of the Torres Strait Islands can be seen strung out towards Papua New Guinea to the north. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Papua is: Another name for New Guinea Papua (Australian territory): A former Australian territory comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, now the southern part of Papua New Guinea Papua (Indonesian province): An Indonesian province comprising the western half of the island of New Guinea Related Words... Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea). ... Map showing West New Guinea region The region of West New Guinea is the western half of the island of New Guinea or Papua, and has also been known as Irian Jaya or West Papua. ...

At 4,884 metres(16,023 feet) , Puncak Jaya (sometimes called Mount Carstensz) makes New Guinea the world's fourth highest landmass. Puncak Jaya (IPA: /pÊŠn. ... This is a list of islands in the world ordered by their highest point. ...

Political divisions

The island of New Guinea is divided politically into roughly equal halves across a north-south line:

• The western portion of the island located west of 141°E longitude, (except for a small section of territory to the east of the Fly River which belongs to Papua New Guinea) was formerly a Dutch colony and is now incorporated into Indonesia as the provinces:
  • West Papua with Manokwari as its capital.
  • Papua with the city of Jayapura as its capital. A proposal to split this province into Central Papua (Papua Tengah) and East Papua (Papua Timur) has not been implemented.

(See also Western New Guinea, which refers to the entire western half of New Guinea)

• The eastern part forms the mainland of Papua New Guinea, which has been an independent country since 1975. It was formerly a territory governed by Australia, consisting of the Trust Territory of New Guinea (formerly German New Guinea) and the Territory of Papua. The country consists of four regions:
  • Papua, consisting of Western, Gulf, Central, Oro (Northern) and Milne Bay provinces.
  • Highlands, consisting of Southern Highlands, Enga Province, Western Highlands, Simbu and Eastern Highlands provinces.
  • Momase, consisting of Morobe, Madang, East Sepik and Sandaun (West Sepik) provinces.
  • Islands, consisting of Manus, West New Britain, East New Britain and New Ireland provinces, and the Bougainville Autonomous Province.

Each province has an administration headed by a governor who is also a member of the national parliament. The 141st meridian east of Greenwich is a meridian (line of constant longitude) on the Earth that extends from the South Pole to the North Pole through Australia, New Guinea and Asia. ... The Fly (named after a British naval ship) is the longest river of the island of New Guinea. ... Map showing West New Guinea region The region of West New Guinea is the western half of the island of New Guinea or Papua, and has also been known as Irian Jaya or West Papua. ... Manokwari is a city and regency (district) in West Irian Jaya in Indonesia, at the western end of New Guinea. ... Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea). ... A workers mural in Jayapura, Indonesia Jayapura City (Indonesian: Kota Jayapura) is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. ... Western New Guinea is the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and consists of two provinces, Papua and West Papua. ... German New Guinea (Ger. ... The Territory of Papua was an Australian possession comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, existing from roughly 1902 to 1949. ... Papua Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea. ... Western Province, is a province is a coastal province in southwestern Papua New Guinea, bordering Irian Jaya. ... Gulf Province is a province of Papua New Guinea located on the southern coast. ... Central Province is a province in Papua New Guinea located on the southern coast of that country. ... Oro Province, formerly Northern Province, is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea. ... Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Papua Region in Papua New Guinea Highlands Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Southern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea Southern Highlands is a province in Papua New Guinea. ... Enga refers to both an ethnic group located in the highlands Papua New Guinea and the province in which they are the majority ethnic group. ... Location of Western Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea Western Highlands is a province of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Simbu (Chimbu) Province in Papua New Guinea Simbu, formerly known as Chimbu, is a highland province in Papua New Guinea. ... Eastern Highlands is a highlands province of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Papua Region in Papua New Guinea Momase Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea. ... Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea Madang has many of Papua New Guineas highest peaks, its most active volcanos, and its biggest mix of languages (175). ... East Sepik is a province in Papua New Guinea. ... Sandaun Province, formerly known as West Sepik, is the north-westernmost province of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of Manus Province in Papua New Guinea Manus Province is the smallest province in Papua New Guinea with a land area of 2100km², but with more than 220,000km² of water. ... West New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea on the islands of New Britain. ... East New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea. ... Location of New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea New Ireland Province, formerly New Mecklenburg (German: ) is the most northeastern province of Papua New Guinea. ... For other uses of Bougainville, see Bougainville. ...

People

People in Papua New Guinea

The current population of the island of New Guinea is about 7.1 million people. Image File history File links Village_people_in_Papua_New_Guinea. ... Image File history File links Village_people_in_Papua_New_Guinea. ...

Many believe human habitation on the island has been dated to as early as approximately 40,000 BP^[1], and first settlement possibly dated back to 60,000 years ago has been proposed. The island is presently populated by very nearly a thousand different tribal groups and a near-equivalent number of separate languages, all falling into one of two groups, the Papuan languages and the Austronesian languages. The separation was not merely linguistic; warfare among societies was a factor in the evolution of the men's house: separate housing of groups of adult men, from the single-family houses of the women and children, for mutual protection against the other groups. Pig-based trade between the groups and pig-based feasts are a common theme with the other peoples of southeast Asia and Oceania. Most societies practise agriculture, supplemented by hunting and gathering. Before Present (BP) years are the units of time (counted backwards to the past) used to report raw radiocarbon ages and dates referenced to the BP scale origin in the year AD 1950 (identical to 1950 CE). ... The term Papuan languages refers to those languages of the western Pacific which are neither Austronesian nor Australian. ... The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. ... For other uses, see Pig (disambiguation). ... In anthropology, the hunter-gatherer way of life is that led by certain societies of the Neolithic Era based on the exploitation of wild plants and animals. ...

The great variety of the island's indigenous populations are frequently assigned to one of two main ethnological divisions, based on archaeological, linguistic and genetic evidence: the Papuan and Austronesian groups. Papua is: Another name for New Guinea Papua (Australian territory): A former Australian territory comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, now the southern part of Papua New Guinea Papua (Indonesian province): An Indonesian province comprising the western half of the island of New Guinea Related Words... The Austronesian people are a population group in Oceania and Southeast Asia who speak or had ancestors who spoke one of the Austronesian languages. ...

Current evidence indicates that the Papuans (who constitute the majority of the island's peoples) are descended from the earliest human inhabitants of New Guinea. These original inhabitants first arrived in New Guinea at a time (either side of the Last Glacial Maximum, approx 21,000 years ago) when the island was connected to the Australian continent via a land bridge, forming the landmass known as Sahul. These peoples had made the (shortened) sea-crossing from the islands of Wallacea and Sundaland (the present Malay Archipelago) by at least 40,000 years ago, subsequent to the dispersal of peoples from Africa (circa) 50,000 years ago. Temperature proxies for the last 40,000 years The Last Glacial Maximum refers to the time of maximum extent of the ice sheets during the last glaciation, approximately 21 thousand years ago. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Australia-New Guinea, also called Sahul or Meganesia, is made up of the continent of Australia and the islands of New Guinea and Tasmania. ... Map of Wallacea; upper right corner facing North. ... Sundaland is a biogeographical region of Southeast Asia that comprises the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo, and surrounding smaller islands. ... World map depicting Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago is a vast archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia (Indochina) and Australia. ...

A church in Western New Guinea

The ancestral Austronesian peoples are believed to have arrived considerably later, approximately 3,500 years ago, as part of a gradual seafaring migration from Southeast Asia, possibly originating in eastern China. Austronesian-speaking peoples colonised many of the offshore islands to the north and east of New Guinea, such as New Ireland and New Britain, with settlements also on the coastal fringes of the main island in places. Image File history File links Church_in_kualakencana2. ... Image File history File links Church_in_kualakencana2. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Location of New Ireland Province New Ireland (Tok Pisin: Niu Ailan) is a about 8,650 km² large island in Papua New Guinea. ... (This article is about the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. ...

Human habitation of New Guinea over tens of thousands of years has led to a great deal of diversity, which was further increased by the later arrival of the Austronesians and the more recent history of European and Asian colonisation. This process has been accelerated by the transmigration programs and conscious policies enacted by successive Indonesian governments, which over recent decades has encouraged the resettlement of as many as one million immigrants to western New Guinea, predominantly from the islands of Java, Madura, and Bali. The transmigration program (transmigrasi in Indonesia) was an initiative by the government of Indonesia to move landless people from densely populated areas of Indonesia to less populous areas of the Indonesian archipelago. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java, near the port of Surabaya. ... This article is about the Indonesian island. ...

Biodiversity and ecology

Main article: Fauna of New Guinea

With some 786,000 km² of tropical land - less than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the earth's surface -- New Guinea has an immense ecological value in terms of biodiversity, with between 5 to 10% of the total species on the planet. This percentage is about the same amount as the United States or Australia. A high percentage of New Guinea's species are endemic (found nowhere else), and thousands are still unknown to Western science: probably well over 200,000 species of insect, between 11,000 to 20,000 plant species; over 650 resident bird species, including most species of birds of paradise and bowerbirds, parrots, and cassowaries; over 400 amphibians; 455 butterfly species; marsupials including Bondegezou, Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo, Huon Tree-kangaroo, Long-beaked Echidna, Tenkile, Agile Wallaby, Alpine Wallaby, cuscuses and possums; and various other mammal species. Most of these species are shared, at least in their origin, with the continent of Australia, which was until fairly recent geological times, part of the same landmass. See Australia-New Guinea for an overview. The island is so large that it is considered 'nearly a continent' in terms of its biological distinctiveness. Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) The fauna of New Guinea comprises a large number of species of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates and amphibians. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here surface areas between 100,000 km² and 1,000,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... For the flowering plant of this name, see Strelitzia Genera Cicinnurus Diphyllodes Epimachus Lophorina Manucodia Paradisaea Parotia Ptiloris Seleucidis Lesser Bird of Paradise Paradisaea minor (c)Roderick Eime The birds of paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes, found in Oceania. ... Genera Ailuroedus Archboldia Amblyornis Prionodura Sericulus Ptilonorhynchus Chlamydera The 19 bowerbirds and catbirds make up the family Ptilonorhynchidae. ... Systematics (but see below) Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos) Subfamily Microglossinae (Palm Cockatoo) Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos) Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos) Family Psittacidae (true parrots) Subfamily Loriinae (lories and lorikeets) Subfamily Psittacinae (typical parrots and allies) Tribe Arini (American psittacines) Tribe Cyclopsitticini (fig parrots) Tribe Micropsittini (pygmy parrots) Tribe Nestorini (kakas and... Species Casuarius casuarius Casuarius unappendiculatus Casuarius bennetti Cassowaries (genus Casuarius) are very large flightless birds native to the tropical forests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia. ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... Superfamilies and families Superfamily Hedyloidea: Hedylidae Superfamily Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae Superfamily Papilionoidea: Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. ... This article is about mammals. ... Discovered in Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea) during 1994 by Australian Museum zoologist Dr Tim Flannery, the distinctive black-and-white whistling tree kangaroo known locally as the bondegezou now has a formal scientific name – Dendrolagus mbaiso. ... Binomial name Thomas, 1908 Goodfellows Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi), also called the Ornate Tree Kangaroo, belongs to the family Macropodidae, which includes kangaroos, wallabies and their relatives,[3] and the genus Dendrolagus, with eleven other species. ... Binomial name Dendrolagus matschiei Forster & Rothschild, 1907 The Huon Tree-kangaroo Written By: Alex Mahoney Dendrolagus matschiei, belong to the family Macropodidae, which includes about 55 species of kangaroos. ... Binomial name Zaglossus bruijnii (Peters and Doria, 1876) The Long-beaked Echidna is one of the four extant echidnas and one of three species of Zaglossus that occur in New Guinea. ... Binomial name Flannery & Seri, 1990 The Tenkile (Dendrolagus scottae), also known as Scotts Tree-kangaroo, is a species of marsupial in the Macropodidae family. ... Binomial name Macropus agilis (Gould, 1842) The Agile Wallaby (Macropus agilis), also known as the Sandy Wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in northern Australia and New Guinea. ... Binomial name Flannery, 1992 Calabys Pademelon (Thylogale calabyi), also known as the Alpine Wallaby, is a species of marsupial in the Macropodidae family. ... For other uses, see Possum (disambiguation). ... Australia-New Guinea, also called Sahul or Meganesia, is made up of the continent of Australia and the islands of New Guinea and Tasmania. ...

The Western Crowned Pigeon is native to New Guinea.

Biogeographically, New Guinea is part of Australasia rather than the Indomalayan realm, although New Guinea's flora has many more affinities with Asia than its fauna, which is overwhelmingly Australian. Botanically, New Guinea considered part of Malesia, a floristic region that extends from the Malay Peninsula across Indonesia to New Guinea and the East Melanesian Islands. The flora of New Guinea is a mixture of many tropical rainforest species with origins in Asia, together with typically Australasian flora. Typical southern hemisphere flora include the conifers Podocarpus and the rainforest emergents Araucaria and Agathis, as well as tree ferns and several species of Eucalyptus. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 733 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,060 × 1,685 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 733 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,060 × 1,685 pixels, file size: 1. ... Binomial name (Pallas, 1764) The Western Crowned Pigeon, Goura cristata is a large, turkey-sized, approximately 75cm long, blue-grey pigeon with elegant blue lacy crests over the head and dark blue mask feathers around its eyes. ... Biogeography is the science which deals with patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in such patterns. ... Australasia Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. ... The Indomalaya Ecozone was previously called the Oriental region. ... Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the boundary of the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. ... The East Melanesian Islands, also known as the Solomons-Vanuatu-Bismarck moist forests, is a biogeographic region notable for its unique flora and fauna and species richness. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... species 105 species (Farjon 1998); see list Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. ... Species See text. ... Species See text The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar forms a relatively small group of 21 species of evergreen trees in the family Araucariaceae, characteristically with very large trunks and little or no branching for some way up. ... Tree Fern refers to any fern that grows with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. ... This article is about the plant genus. ...

New Guinea has 284 species and six orders of mammals: (monotremes, three orders of marsupials, rodents and bats); 195 of the mammal species (69%) are endemic. New Guinea has 578 species of breeding birds, of which 324 species are endemic. The island's frogs are one of the most poorly known vertebrate groups, currently totalling 282 species, but this number is expected to double or even triple when all species have been documented. New Guinea has a rich diversity of coral life and 1,200 species of fish have been found. Also about 600 species of reef-building coral — the latter equal to 75 percent of the world’s known total. The entire coral area covers 45 million acres off a peninsula in northwest New Guinea. Families Kollikodontidae (extinct) Ornithorhynchidae - Platypus Tachyglossidae - Echidnas Steropodontidae (extinct) Monotremes are mammals that are best known for laying eggs, instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals (Eutheria). ... Orders Superorder Ameridelphia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Superorder Australidelphia Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Marsupials are mammals in which the female typically has a pouch (called the marsupium, from which the name Marsupial derives) in which it rears its young through early infancy. ...

History

See also: History of Papua New Guinea

The first inhabitants of New Guinea arrived at least around 40,000 years ago, having travelled through the south-east Asian peninsula. These first inhabitants, from whom the Papuan people are probably descended, adapted to the range of ecologies and in time developed one of the earliest known agricultures. Remains of this agricultural system, in the form of ancient irrigation systems in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, are being studied by archaeologists. This work is still in its early stages so there is still uncertainty as to precisely what crop was being grown, or when/where agriculture arose. The history of Papua New Guinea can be traced back to about 60,000 years ago when people first migrated towards the Australian continent. ...

The gardens of the New Guinea Highlands are ancient, intensive permacultures, adapted to high population densities, very high rainfalls (as high as 10,000 mm/yr (400 in/yr)), earthquakes, hilly land, and occasional frost. Complex mulches, crop rotations and tillages are used in rotation on terraces with complex irrigation systems. Western agronomists still do not understand all practices, and it has been noted that native gardeners are as or more successful than most scientific farmers in raising certain crops.^[2] There is evidence that New Guinea gardeners invented crop rotation well before western Europeans.^[3] A unique feature of New Guinea permaculture is the silviculture of Casuarina oligodon, a tall, sturdy native ironwood tree, suited to use for timber and fuel, with root nodules that fix nitrogen. Pollen studies show that it was adopted during an ancient period of extreme deforestation. The New Guinea Highlands, also known as the Central Range or Central Cordillera, are a chain of mountain ranges and intermountain valleys on the island of New Guinea which run generally east-west the length of the island. ... Permaculture Mandala summarising the ethics and principles of permaculture design. ... Silviculture is the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values of landowners, society and the many cultures throughout the globe // Forest regeneration is the act of renewing tree cover by establishing young trees naturally or artificially, generally... Genera Allocasuarina Casuarina Gymnostoma Casuarinaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of 3 or 4 genera and approximately 70 species of trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics (Indo-Malaysia), Australia, and the Pacific islands. ... Pollen under microscope Palynology is the science that studies contemporary and fossil palynomorphs, including pollen, spores, dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, together with particulate organic matter (POM) and kerogen found in sedimentary rocks and sediments. ...

In more recent millennia another wave of people arrived on the shores of New Guinea. These were the Austronesian people, who had spread down from Taiwan, through the south-east Asian archipelago, colonising many of the islands on the way. The Austronesian people had technology and skills extremely well adapted to ocean voyaging and Austronesian language speaking people are present along much of the coastal areas and islands of New Guinea.

The first European contact with New Guinea was by Portuguese and/or Spanish sailors in the 16th century. In 1526-27 Don Jorge de Meneses saw the western tip of New Guinea and named it ilhas dos Papuas. Ploeg^[4] reports that the word papua is often said to derive from the Malay word papua or pua-pua, meaning 'frizzly-haired', referring to the highly curly hair of the inhabitants of these areas. Another possibility, (put forward by Sollewijn Gelpke in 1993) is that it comes from the Biak phrase sup i papwa which means 'the land below [the sunset]' and refers to the islands west of the Bird's Head, as far as Halmahera. Fishing boats lined up at Kota Biak, Indonesia Biak is a small island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. ... Halmahera (also Jilolo or Gilolo) is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. ...

Whatever the origin of the name Papua, it came to be associated with this area, and more especially with Halmahera, which was known to the Portuguese by this name during the era of their colonisation in this part of the world.

In 1545 the Spaniard Yñigo Ortiz de Retez sailed along the north coast of New Guinea as far as the Mamberamo River near which he landed, naming the island 'Nueva Guinea'. The first map showing the whole island (as an island) was published in 1600 and shows it as 'Nova Guinea'. Yñigo Ortiz de Retez was a 16th century Spanish navigator and explorer. ... The Mamberamo River is a large river in Papua province, Indonesia. ...

The first European claim occurred in 1828, when the Netherlands formally claimed the western half of the island as Netherlands New Guinea. In 1883, following a short-lived French annexation of New Ireland, the British colony of Queensland annexed south-eastern New Guinea. However, the Queensland government's superiors in the United Kingdom revoked the claim, and (formally) assumed direct responsibility in 1884, when Germany claimed north-eastern New Guinea as the protectorate of German New Guinea (also styled Kaiser-Wilhelmsland). The first Dutch government posts were established in 1898 and in 1902 Manokwari on the North coast, Fak-Fak in the West and Merauke in the South at the border with British New Guinea. Dutch New Guinea was a common name of western New Guinea while it was a colonial possession of the Netherlands. ... Location of New Ireland Province New Ireland (Tok Pisin: Niu Ailan) is a about 8,650 km² large island in Papua New Guinea. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... German New Guinea (Ger. ... Kaiser-Wilhelmsland was the north-eastern part of New Guinea. ... The Territory of Papua was an Australian possession comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, existing from roughly 1902 to 1949. ...

Both the Dutch and the British tried to suppress warfare and head-hunting once common between the villages of the populace.

In 1905 the British government renamed their territory to Papua and in 1906 transferred total responsibility for it to Australia. During World War I, Australian forces seized German New Guinea, which in 1920 became a League of Nations mandated territory of Australia. The Australian territories became collectively known as The Territories of Papua and New Guinea (until February 1942). “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919–1920. ... Mandates in the Middle east and Africa. ...

Before about 1930, most European maps showed the highlands as uninhabited forests. When first flown over by aircraft, numerous settlements with agricultural terraces and stockades were observed. The most startling discovery took place on August 4, 1938, when Richard Archbold discovered the Grand Valley of the Balim River which had 50,000 yet-undiscovered Stone Age farmers living in orderly villages. The people, known as the Dani, were the last society of its size to make first contact with the western world.^[5] is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Archbold (1907 - 1976) was an American zoologist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Map of New Guinea, with place names as used in English in the 1940s

Netherlands New Guinea and the Australian territories were invaded in 1942 by the Japanese. The Australian territories were put under military administration and were known simply as New Guinea. The highlands, northern and eastern parts of the island became key battlefields in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. Papuans often gave vital assistance to the Allies, fighting alongside Australian troops, and carrying equipment and injured men across New Guinea. Following the return to civil administration, the Australian section was known as the Territory of Papua-New Guinea (1945-49) and then as Papua and New Guinea. Although the rest of the Dutch East Indies achieved independence as Indonesia on December 27, 1949, the Netherlands regained control of western New Guinea. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2310x1533, 170 KB) Description: New Guinea Based on Source: www-cgsc. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2310x1533, 170 KB) Description: New Guinea Based on Source: www-cgsc. ... South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to one of the four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatre of World War II, during 1942-45. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During the 1950s the Dutch government began to prepare Netherlands New Guinea for full independence and allowed elections in 1959; an elected Papuan council, the New Guinea Council (Nieuw Guinea Raad) took office on April 5, 1961. The Council decided on the name of West Papua, a national emblem, a flag called the Morning Star or Bintang Kejora, and a national anthem; the flag was first raised — next to the Dutch flag — on December 1, 1961. However, Indonesia threatened with an invasion, after full mobilisation of its army, by August 15, 1962, after receiving military help from the Soviet Union. Under strong pressure of the United States government (under the Kennedy administration) the Dutch, who were prepared to resist an Indonesian attack, attended diplomatic talks. On October 1, 1962, the Dutch handed over the territory to a temporary UN administration (UNTEA). On May 1, 1963, Indonesia took control. The territory was renamed West Irian and then Irian Jaya. In 1969 Indonesia, under the 1962 New York Agreement, was required to organize a plebiscite to seek the consent of the Papuans for Indonesian rule. This so called Act of Free Choice (Pepera) resulted, under strong threats and intimidations of the Indonesian military, in a 100% vote for continued Indonesian rule. is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An emblem consists of a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept - often a concept of a moral truth or an allegory. ... The flag of West Papua, ratio unknown Description The flag of West Papua consists of a red vertical band along the hoist side, with a white five-pointed star in the center. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogising the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognised either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... JFK redirects here. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...

From 1971, the name Papua New Guinea was used for the Australian territory. On September 16, 1975, Australia granted full independence to Papua New Guinea. is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2000, amid increasing discontent and opposition to Indonesian rule, Irian Jaya was formally renamed "The Province of Papua" and a large measure of "special autonomy" was granted in 2001. This law on special autonomy, however, was never implemented. On the contrary, at the beginning of 2003 President Megawati Sukarnoputri announced the division of the province into three parts, while the name "Papua" for the province would again revert to Irian. With strong public protest by Papuans, only the province of West Irian Jaya (with Manokwari as its capital and covering the Bird's Head Peninsula) was split from Papua Province. In 2005 a new proposal came from Jakarta to split the province into five provinces. This plan has not yet been implemented. Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea). ... Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Soekarnoputri (born January 23, 1947), was President of Indonesia from July 2001 to October 20, 2004. ... Map showing West Irian Jaya province in Indonesia West Irian Jaya (Indonesian: Irian Jaya Barat) is a province of Indonesia on the western end of the island of New Guinea. ... Manokwari is a city and regency (district) in West Irian Jaya in Indonesia, at the western end of New Guinea. ... Birds Head Peninsula seen from space (false color) The Birds Head (Indonesian: Kepala Burung, Dutch: ) Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula is a large peninsula the makes up the northwest portion of the Province of West Irian Jaya, Indonesia, at . ...

Geology

Topographical map of New Guinea.

A central east-west mountain range dominates the geography of New Guinea, over 1600 km in total length. The western half of the island of New Guinea contains the highest mountains in Oceania, rising up to 4884 m high, and ensuring a steady supply of rain from the tropical atmosphere. The tree line is around 4000 m elevation and the tallest peaks contain permanent equatorial glaciers - which are disappearing due to a changing climate. Various other smaller mountain ranges occur both north and west of the central ranges. Except in high elevations, most areas possess a warm humid climate throughout the year, with some seasonal variation associated with the northeast monsoon season. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 406 pixelsFull resolution (3272 × 1659 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 406 pixelsFull resolution (3272 × 1659 pixels, file size: 1. ... Western New Guinea is the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and consists of two provinces, Papua and West Papua. ...

Puncak Jaya, sometimes known by its former Dutch name Carstensz Pyramid, is a mist covered limestone mountain peak 4884 m above sea level. Puncak Jaya (IPA: /pÊŠn. ...

Another major habitat feature are the vast southern and northern lowlands. Stretching for hundreds of kilometers, these include lowland rainforests, extensive wetlands, savanna grasslands, and some of the largest expanses of mangrove forest in the world. The southern lowlands are the site of Lorentz National Park, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Lorentz National Park is located in Indonesia, in the province of Papua. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

The Sepik, Mamberamo, Fly, and Digul rivers are the island's major river systems that drain in roughly northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest directions respectively. Many of these rivers have broad areas of meander and result in large areas of lakes and freshwater swamps. Location of the Sepik River The Sepik River is the longest river in Papua New Guinea (although the Fly River also claims to be the longest). ... The Mamberamo River is a large river in Papua province, Indonesia. ... The Fly (named after a British naval ship) is the longest river of the island of New Guinea. ... The Digul (Dutch: ) is a major river in southern Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. ...

In New Guinea are a high percentage of all the world’s ecosystem types: permanent equatorial glaciers, alpine tundra, savanna, montane and lowland rainforest, mangroves, wetlands, lake and river ecosystems, seagrasses, and some of the richest coral reefs on the planet.

Cannibalism

New Guinea is well-known in the popular imagination for supposed ritual cannibalism that was apparently practiced by some (but far from all) ethnic groups. The Korowai and Kombai peoples of southeastern Papua are two of the last groups in the world said to have engaged in cannibalism in the recent past. In the Asmat area of southwestern Papua, it may have occurred up until the early 1970s. Among the Fore people in Papua New Guinea, ritualized cannibalism led to the spread of kuru, prompting the Australian administration to outlaw the practice in 1959. Cannibal redirects here. ... The Korowai, also called the Kolufo, are a people of southeastern Papua ( the southeastern part of the western part of New Guinea). ... The Kombai are a tribal people in Indonesia who live primarily in tree houses. ... Western New Guinea is the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and consists of two provinces, Papua and West Papua. ... The Asmat are an ethnic group of New Guinea, residing in what is currently the Papua province of Indonesia. ... Kuru (also known as laughing sickness due to the outbursts of laughter that mark its second phase) was first noted in New Guinea in the early 1900s. ...

Cannibalism may have arisen in New Guinea due to the scarcity of sources of protein. The traditional crops, taro and sweet potato, are low in protein compared to wheat and pulses, and the only edible animals available were small and unappetizing, such as mice, spiders, and frogs.^[6] Anthropologists dispute this theory, pointing out that a number of medium-sized marsupials are endemic to the island, and are hunted by the natives, and that pigs were introduced several thousand years before contact with Europeans. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... This article is about the plant. ... Binomial name L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat Wheat For the indie rock group, see Wheat (band). ... The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) defines pulses as annual leguminous crops yielding from one to 12 grains or seeds of variable size, shape and colour within a pod. ...

See also

Look up New Guinea in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Papua
• Papua Region
• Papua (Indonesian province)
• Kaiser-Wilhelmsland
• Irian Jaya
• Asmat
• Western New Guinea
• British New Guinea
• German New Guinea
• Dutch New Guinea
• Melanesia
• Dobuans
• Dani

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Papua is: Another name for New Guinea Papua (Australian territory): A former Australian territory comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, now the southern part of Papua New Guinea Papua (Indonesian province): An Indonesian province comprising the western half of the island of New Guinea Related Words... Papua Region is one of four regions of Papua New Guinea. ... Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea). ... Kaiser-Wilhelmsland was the north-eastern part of New Guinea. ... Map showing Papua province in Indonesia Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. ... The Asmat are an ethnic group of New Guinea, residing in the Papua province of Indonesia. ... Western New Guinea is the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and consists of two provinces, Papua and West Papua. ... The Territory of Papua was an Australian possession comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, existing from roughly 1902 to 1949. ... German New Guinea (Ger. ... Dutch New Guinea was a common name of western New Guinea while it was a colonial possession of the Netherlands. ... Map showing Melanesia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

References

Jared Mason Diamond (b. ...

External links

• The Intoxicating Birds of New Guinea by John Tidwell
• Online documentaries re OPM sponsored by West German-based Friends of Peoples Close to Nature
• Facsimile of material from "The Discovery of New Guinea" by George Collingridge
• Scientists hail discovery of hundreds of new species in remote New Guinea
• PapuaWeb