BLUF

Covers key areas relating to PNG—its history, people, language and government. Includes several useful references.

Summary

PNG OVERVIEW as of 18 Feb 2023

  1. The indigenous people of Papua New Guinea had been living on the island for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. New Guinea people | WWF (panda.org)
  2. European contact with Papua New Guinea began with the arrival of the Portuguese in the early 16th century. Papua New Guinea - The colonial period | Britannica
  3. The island was divided into territories controlled by Germany (northeast), Britain (southeast), and the Netherlands (west) in the late 19th century. Papua New Guinea - The colonial period | Britannica
  4. At the beginning of WW1, Australian troops attacked the German radio station in Rabaul and seized it from the Germans. Bitapaka | Australian War Memorial (awm.gov.au)
  5. During World War I, Australia occupied German New Guinea and was granted a mandate to administer the territory under the League of Nations. History | Papua New Guinea
  6. PNG During WW2: see New Guinea Campaign, South West Pacific Area Theatre: List of WW2 battles 1941 – 45.
  7. After the war, Papua New Guinea became a United Nations trust territory and was administered as a single territory under the Australian administration. Independence of Papua New Guinea | naa.gov.au
  8. The Highlands of PNG first came to Australia's notice when Michael Leahy made contact with people of the PNG Highlands who had a different culture from those on the coast. This contact was made famous by a film called 'First Contact'. First Contact in Papua New Guinea | Indopacificimages
  9. The first elections for the Papua New Guinea House of Assembly were held in 1964. ANU_Press_Papua-New_Guinea_Elections_1964.pdf.
  10. In 1973, the country achieved self-government, and in 1975, it became fully independent from Australia. Independence of Papua New Guinea | naa.gov.au
  11. The first Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea was Michael Somare. Obituary: Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare | Department of Pacific Affairs (anu.edu.au)
  12. The Bougainville civil war, where Bougainville attempted to win its independence from PNG, lasted from 1988 to 1998 and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 15,000 people. Australian peacekeepers in Bougainville from 1994 to 2003 - Anzac Portal (dva.gov.au)
  13. The country has significant natural resources, including gold, copper, and natural gas, which have been critical drivers of economic growth. Papua New Guinea - The World Factbook (cia.gov)
  14. Papua New Guinea is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with over 800 languages spoken. Language and ethnobiological skills decline precipitously in Papua New Guinea, the world's most linguistically diverse nation | PNAS
  15. Recently, the country has been hit by natural disasters, including a major earthquake in 2018 that killed over 100 people. Reducing disaster risk in Papua New Guinea | Community Safety | Geoscience Australia (ga.gov.au)
  16. Papua New Guinea has struggled with high levels of violence, particularly against women. Papua New Guinea women are facing an epidemic of violence. Is it time for men to fix the problem? - ABC Pacific
  17. The country has also faced challenges in providing healthcare to its population, with high rates of infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis rates. Frontiers | A review of malaria epidemiology and control in Papua New Guinea 1900 to 2021: Progress made and future directions (frontiersin.org)
  18. PNG suffers from a high crime rate together with tribal violence. Tribal Violence in Papua New Guinea | ICRC
  19. In September 2021, James Marape was re-elected as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea following a general election. James Marape returned as prime minister in Papua New Guinea after fraught election | Papua New Guinea | The Guardian
  20. The geography of PNG and the need for roads connecting cities and towns create several problems for PNG's government. Addressing Fragility in Papua New Guinea (csis.org)
  21. Australia has always worked closely with the PNG Defence Force. Project builds ties with PNG | Defence Australia's close bonds with Papua New Guinea can help build a stronger nation | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
  22. The Wantok system provides people with a social support network but can be an impediment to development.  The Wantok System in Papua New Guinea | Indopacificimages     See also:Demand Sharing: Reciprocity and the Pressure for Generosity among Foragers on JSTOR
  23. Papua New Guinea's population growth rate is among the highest in the world, estimated at 2.3% in 2021, with a current population of over 9 million people. The country's youthful population and high fertility rates contribute to rapid population growth. However, this also poses challenges for the government in providing essential services such as health, education, and infrastructure to its citizens.  Papua New Guinea | Data (worldbank.org)
  24. In Papua New Guinea, Melanesian Pidgin is known as Tok Pisin and is one of the country's official languages. It is widely spoken across the country, particularly in urban areas, and serves as a lingua franca for communication between the many different indigenous languages.Tok Pisin | language | Britannica

See: PNG DURING WW2

USEFUL REFERENCES
Papua New Guinea | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (dfat.gov.au)

References