Papua New Guinea accent surely sounds unique and different. Do you know that Papua New Guinea is a country that has the most ethnic groups as well as the most diverse languages in the world? Moreover, it also has so many cultures and natural resources. The exotism of its geography is gorgeous as well. With an area of 462,840 square kilometers, Papua New Guinea is the 54th largest country in the world.
This country has a brotherhood system named ‘Wantok’. And each tribal brotherhood is differentiated based on the language they use. West Papua New Guinea has 871 languages, which is around 11% of the total languages in the world. The diversity of the ethnic groups and languages in the country definitely affects its culture, such as music, traditional dances, and so on. Do you want to know more about other interesting facts of Papua New Guinea? Here they are.
It Has a Wide Variety of Ethnicities and Languages
It is estimated that more than a thousand of ethnic groups live together in Papua New Guinea. This condition brings out a broad variety of culture. Starts from art, dance, music, costumes, weapons, architecture, to Papua New Guinea accent, all of them have their own uniqueness. Most ethnic groups in the country also have their own languages. But instead of making them disunited, this diversity makes Papua New Guinea unites.
It Has So Many Active Volcanoes
The highest peak of Papua New Guinea is Wilhelm Mountain, which is at an altitude of 4,509 meters. Papua New Guinea is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, precisely at the meeting point of several tectonic plates. This is why this country has a number of active volcanoes that frequently erupt. Earthquakes also relatively often happen, even along with tsunami.
It is Surrounded by Tropical Rainforests
Papua New Guinea has the densest highland area, which is mostly covered with tropical rainforests. You can find these dense tropical rainforests in lowlands and coasts, as well as areas of wetlands around the Sepik and Fly rivers. Since the tropical rainforests surrounding are extremely vast, you can only access some of these areas by walking or plane.
It Has Abundant Natural Resources
Papua New Guinea is indeed rich in natural resources, including minerals and renewable resources, such as oceans, forests, and agriculture. Moreover, the agricultural lands in the country are well-managed, it becomes the locals’ main livelihood. On the other hand, mineral deposits, including oil, gold, and copper, contribute 72% of export earnings. The production of palm oil also has been growing in the past few years, along with cacao and coconut oil.
It Has Australian Animals
Papua New Guinea is located in the Australasian ecological area, which includes Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Eastern Indonesia, and some islands in the Pacific. Geologically, Papua Island is an extension of the Indo-Australian Plate. During the ice age, Papua New Guinea was connected to Australia by a shallow continental shelf that passed through the Torres Strait.
This has resulted in genetic linkages of many species of birds and mammals in Papua New Guinea that can also be found in Australia. One species of animal that stands out is marsupial mammals, such as kangaroos and possums.
It is Part of British Commonwealth
Papua New Guinea adheres to a constitutional monarchy parliamentary unitary system. This country is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. Currently, the Queen is represented by Michael Ogio, the Governor General of Papua New Guinea.
These are the interesting facts about Papua New Guinea you should know. – Papua New Guinea accent.