Papua New Guinea

Arguably one of the most spectacularly beautiful countries on earth Papua New Guinea is situated to the near north of Australia and comprises the eastern half of the world's largest island. Within is geographical boundaries lay several hundred offshore islands large and small, some with unique flora, fauna and many diverse primitive village cultures.Separated from The Indonesian state of West Papua, along the 140th meridian this young nation stretches into the Pacific Ocean and is bordered by the Coral Sea in the South and Micronesia to the North.

Contained entirely within the hot tropics and surrounded by oceans, heavy rainfall and high temperatures throughout the year have combined to create one of the largest rainforest areas outside of the Amazon.Geologically it is relatively young and is undergoing continuous change as the earths movement and the many active volcanos sculpt the terrain with powerful tremors, ash and lava all along an east west, line of instability forming part of the "ring of fire" that reaches from Asia right across the Pacific Ocean.The biological diversity of the flora and fauna that is encountered as one travels from the coastal regions across lowland flood plains of swamp, open grass and into the forested slopes and mountains offer visitors a seemingly unending variety of scenery.

All the recognised species of "Birds of Paradise" are represented here and over.other species of birdlife combined with the unique marsupial, mammal, insect and marine life combine to make PNG a very special place in the world of nature.With over seven hundred distinct languages spoken throughout the nation the human cultural aspects are without parallel in anthropological terms. From the earliest contact with the western world during the second half of the 19th Century many hundreds of studies have produced a diverse range literature on the people of this land as they journeyed through time from their primitive beginnings to the present day where the nation now takes it's place in the 21st Century as a member of the world community.With so much diversity of culture, scenery, flora and fauna it is little wonder that PNG offers the world so much as a travel destination. Tropical Beachside Hotels, cultural performances, spectacular scenery, Mountain Treks, Fishing, unequalled Scuba Diving, Bird Watching, World War 2 Historical sites and relics (including the Kokoda Trail).

From the bottom of it's oceans to the highest mountain peaks it is all here. Although it is resource rich in terms of Gold, Copper, Oil, Gas and Timber, PNG is still a developing country and the majority of it's population are subsistence farmers of one kind or another but their shyness, generosity, humour, and good nature leaves most visitors with glowing tales of their stay in this wonderful place with it's warm and friendly people and rich cultures.

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By: Shane Thomas