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WINTER 2012
Located to the north of Australia, from
which it gained its independence in 1975, PNG
encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea,
the world’s second largest island. The western
half of the island, formerly known as Irian Jaya,
has been called West Papua since 2007 and is
currently governed by Indonesia.
Startling contrasts in topography shape PNG’s
exotic scenery. Rugged, near-impenetrable
mountain ranges lead to the country’s highest
peak, Mount Wilhelm, at 14,793 feet. Lush
valleys and rainforests cover most of the interior,
and coastal plains drain some of the largest river
systems in the world. Active volcanoes stretch
along the north coast of the mainland and
offshore along the islands of New Britain, New
Ireland and New Hanover. Volcanic formations
dot the turquoise waters of the Bismarck and
Coral seas, creating a patchwork of coral reefs
fringed by picturesque sandy beaches.
VIBRANT INHABITANTS
The tortuous topography has utterly separated
the people. As a result, PNG is one of the most
culturally diverse countries on Earth, with more
than 850 indigenous languages and at least as
many traditional societies, out of a population of
almost 7 million. The country is one of the world’s
least explored — culturally and geographically
— and many undiscovered species of plants and
animals are still thought to exist in the interior.
Far from being the bloodthirsty cannibals of
lore, the Papuans are a friendly, vivacious people
who treat their guests with hospitality and respect.
Their traditions and elaborate bodily adornments
are every bit as colorful as their rainbowed reefs.
PNG is also known for its exotic and colorful
birds. At one end of the feathered beauty scale
is the bird of paradise with its resplendent
plumage and elaborate courtship displays. At
the other end is the flightless cassowary — a
throwback to the Pliocene epoch with a bright-
blue, crested, reptilian head. Weighing up to
128 pounds, this fearsome bird can run 30 mph,
gulp down fist-sized fruit and disembowel a
predator with one swipe of its sharp claws.
Occasionally, discoveries are made in the
mammal department, including new species of
tree kangaroos, big-eyed cuscus (a member of the
opossum family) and bats that inhabit the dense,
mountainous forests. And PNG is still a veritable
frontier when it comes to underwater exploration.
Clockwise from above: Skull caves in Tawali, Milne Bay Province, Papua New
Guinea (This reliquary contains hundreds of enemy heads from more than 100
years ago.); lacy or weedy scorpionfish (Rhinopias aphanes), Jason’s Reef, Milne
Bay Province; Ulauan (Father’s) Volcano at sunrise, West New Britain; a curious
broadclub cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus)
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