The second largest island in the world
The island of New Guinea is located in northern Australia, western Pacific Ocean, south of the equator, bordered by the Bismarck Sea to the northeast, the Solomon Sea to the east, the Arafra Sea and the Coral Sea to the south, and the Malay Islands in southeast Asia to the west; it is roughly located between 130 degrees east longitude and 151 degrees east longitude and 12 degrees south latitude. The island of New Guinea is roughly in a northwest-southeast direction, with an east-west length of about 2,400 kilometers, a central maximum of about 650 kilometers, and a total area of 786,000 square kilometers, more than three times the area of the island of Great Britain, and the second largest island in the world after Greenland. In 1545, the Portuguese Ortiz Dreits arrived in the north of the island, and saw that the skin color and hair of the local residents were very similar to those of black people along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, and the climate and natural scenery of the two places were roughly similar, so they named "New Guinea Island". The island of New Guinea is now divided into the independent state of Papua New Guinea (hereinafter referred to as Papua New Guinea) and Indonesia (hereinafter referred to as Indonesia), and the two countries are roughly bordered by 141 degrees east longitude, and the area west of 141 degrees east longitude is called West Irian (belonging to Indonesia, Indonesia calls the island of New Guinea Irian Island), and the east belongs to Papua New Guinea. The western half of the island of New Guinea (belonging to Indonesia) and the eastern half (belonging to Papua New Guinea) are about the same size, each accounting for half of the area. The coastline of the island of New Guinea is tortuous, with many peninsulas and bays, the large bays are the Coral Sea Papua Bay in the southeast and the Bird Head Bay in the northwest, the main peninsula is the westernmost Bird of Paradise Peninsula and the southeastern Part of the Papua Peninsula. The main islands near the island of New Guinea are the Aru Islands in the Arafra Sea, Dolac Island (both belonging to the Indonesian province of Papua), the Bay of Birdshead, the Island of Beyak and Yapen Island (both belonging to the Indonesian province of West Papua), and the Northern Vegu Island (belonging to the Indonesian province of West Papua) in the northern part of the Bird of Paradise Peninsula.
Lowland rainforest on the island of New Guinea
The topography of the island of New Guinea is mainly mountainous and plain. Roughly northwest-southeast oriented, the New Guinea Heights (also known as the Central Mountains) stretch 1,600 kilometers from east to west, the western section is the high-lying Mauk Mountains, with many peaks of more than 4,000 meters, the highest peak is 4884 meters above sea level, the highest peak of the island, the highest peak in Oceania, the highest island peak in the world; the middle section of the New Guinea Highlands is the Bismarck Mountains (the highest peak is William Peak at an altitude of 4059 meters), and the eastern section is Owen Stanley Ridge (which constitutes the Papua Peninsula, Its highest peak is Victoria Peak, which is 4038 meters above sea level). On the north and south sides of the Central Mountain Range are coastal plains of varying widths and narrows, of which the Digurflei Plain in the south is the largest. There are many rivers on the island of New Guinea, the larger rivers originate from the central mountains and flow into the ocean on the north-south slopes, and the longer rivers are the Frye River, the Sepik River, the Manberamo River, the Lamu River, the Markm River, the Diggul River and so on. Originating in the central mountains and flowing southeast into the Gulf of Papua, the Fray River has a total length of 1,050 kilometers, making it the second longest river on the island of New Guinea; the upper reaches of the Fry River is also the natural border between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia's West Irian, and the basin is mostly lowland tropical rainforest and sparsely populated. The Sepik River is the longest river on the island of New Guinea (and the longest river in Papua New Guinea), originating on the northern slope of the Central Mountain Range and flowing northeast into the Bismarck Sea, with a total length of 1126 km. Located in the northwest of the island of New Guinea, the Mamboramo River flows into the Pacific Ocean from southeast to northwest, with a total length of 805 kilometers, making it the largest river in West Irian. The island of New Guinea is located between the equator and 12 degrees south latitude, most of which is a tropical rainforest climate, with high temperatures and rainy temperatures throughout the year, and the annual precipitation is more than 2000 mm; the central New Guinea Highlands have a mountainous climate with large vertical differences.
Map of the island of New Guinea
The island of New Guinea was also connected to the Australian mainland two to three million years ago, and was later separated by the Torres Strait due to crustal changes and sea level rise; to this day, the geological structure is unstable, earthquakes are more frequent; on February 26, 2018, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale occurred in the central Province of Papua New Guinea, triggering landslides and mudslides, causing nearly 200 deaths. There are several active volcanoes on the island of New Guinea, among which The Mount Lamington (1680 meters above sea level) in the northern province of Papua New Guinea erupted in 1951, killing more than 2,900 people. The island of New Guinea is rich in mineral resources, with large reserves of gold, copper, oil and natural gas; the Grassberg Gold Mine in Papua Province, Indonesia, is one of the largest gold mines in the world, in addition to more than 3,000 tons of gold ore, there are huge copper deposits; the Kpatmono Oilfield on the Bird of Paradise Peninsula is one of the largest oil fields in Indonesia.
The highest peak on the island of New Guinea, Chaya Peak
The island of New Guinea is sparsely populated, with an average population density of 14 people per square kilometer, and the existing population of the island is about 11 million, of which about 3.9 million live in the western half of Indonesia's West Irian, and the population lives in the eastern half of Papua New Guinea (2014). Irian Island has a settled history of more than 10,000 years, and has been a primitive patriarchal society until European colonists entered in the 18th century, with slash-and-burn slash farming by indigenous people in the interior and fishing and hunting by coastal residents. At present, the indigenous population of the island of New Guinea is mainly Papua; the Papua people mainly live in the inland highlands, belonging to the Nigro-Australian race Papua type, dark skin, curly hair, broad nose wings, thick lips, and high nose bridge; Papua is the European navigator's name for the indigenous people of the island of New Guinea, meaning "hairy people".
Papuans from West Papua Province, Indonesia
Wildlife of the island of New Guinea
The island of New Guinea is the most biodiverse tropical island in the world, with more than 10,000 species of plants, more than 400 species of amphibians, more than 600 species of birds, more than 440 species of butterflies, and more than 100 species of mammals found. New Guinea Island is located near the equator, located in the transition zone between the two continents of Asia and Australia, and has plant species from both continents, including eucalyptus and other plants in the Australian flora, as well as palmaceae and nepenthes in the tropical plant area of Asia; due to the difference in altitude between the islands, 900 meters below is a lowland tropical rainforest, 900 to 1800 meters is a mountain rainforest, some areas are mixed with Luo Han Pine and Araucaria; 1800 to 3000 meters are mixed forests, and 3000 to 4000 meters are alpine meadows. Above 4400 meters is a permanent snow belt. The famous plants of New Guinea island are rainbow eucalyptus, Papua sandalwood, bright-leaved araucaria, Papua New Guinea walnut, Papua nepenthes, etc.; rainbow eucalyptus is an evergreen tree of the myrtle eucalyptus family, the tree height can reach 75 meters, native to the island of New Guinea, Sulawesi, because of its colorful trunk and name (eucalyptus has eucalyptus, mountain eucalyptus, eucalyptus, rainbow eucalyptus and other 753 species, most species native to the Australian mainland). Papua sandalwood is an evergreen tree of the sandalwood genus of the sandalwood family, native to the island of New Guinea, its wood has a strong fragrance, can soothe the mood, can be used to make high-grade furniture, handicrafts, extract fragrance, etc. (sandalwood genus has Papua sandalwood, Hawaiian sandalwood, dense flower Australian sandalwood, Fijian sandalwood, Indian sandalwood and so on more than a dozen). Bright-leaved Araucaria is an evergreen tree of the genus Araucaria in the family Cyprinaceae, also known as Araucaria ryanosa, native to the island of New Guinea, with a height of 30 meters and a straight trunk, it is a high-quality timber tree species. Papua New Guinea walnut is an evergreen tree of the genus Sumacaceae, more than 20 meters high, native to the mountain rainforest of new Guinea Island, also known as golden walnut, its wood is solid, the core is yellow-brown or reddish-brown, with gray or black flowing stripes, is the world's most valuable tropical hardwood, is a high-quality material for making high-grade furniture, has a long history of application in Southeast Asia.
Rainbow eucalyptus
The most distinctive animals of New Guinea are the Bird of Paradise, the Echidna, the Possum, the Tree Kangaroo, the Southern Crane Ostrich, and the Alexander Bird-winged Butterfly. The echidna, also known as the proto-echidna and three-toed echidna, is a proto-echidna (one of the most primitive mammals on Earth) in the echidna family distributed only on the island of New Guinea, which prefers to live in alpine meadows and wet forests, is larger than the Australian echidna, and is now listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The possum is endemic to the island of New Guinea, a marsupial belonging to the possum genus possums of the possum family, with a body length of 44 cm, a tail length of 33 cm, an average weight of 2.5 to 3 kg, short and dense fur, usually gray, large feet, five fingers, inhabiting forests and shrubs at an altitude of 500 to 1500 meters. Southern crane ostrich is a large bird of the genus Crane Ostrich in the family Ostrich, only distributed in the island of New Guinea and the York Peninsula in northern Australia, adult southern crane ostrich is 1.5 to 1.8 meters tall, some females can be up to 2 meters, the heaviest weight is 60 kg, is the world's third largest bird after ostriches and emus; southern cranes and ostriches are commonly known as "cassowners" because the indigenous people living in the Highlands of New Guinea will catch chicks to raise and eat. Tree kangaroos are kangaroos living in trees, only distributed in the island of New Guinea and neighboring islands, the tropical rainforest of the York Peninsula in northern Australia, known to have 12 species of maitake kangaroos, bear-shaped tree kangaroos, red tree kangaroos, white-bellied tree kangaroos, etc., generally 40 to 77 cm long, tail 40 to 87 cm long, weighing an average of 15 kg, moving very slowly and clumsily on the ground, but back to the tree is very flexible, the front limbs hold the trunk, with strong hind limbs jump to climb the tree, they are all flying experts , can jump 9 meters. The Queen Alexander Birdwing Butterfly is the world's largest butterfly found so far, distributed only in the eastern part of the island of New Guinea, belonging to the genus Ofteroptera in the family Butterfly family, named in honor of Queen Alexander, wife of King Edward VII; the female butterfly has a wingspan of 31 cm, a body length of 8 cm and a weight of 12 g; it is currently listed as an endangered species by the IUCN.
Alexander Queen Bird Wing Butterfly
Tree kangaroos in the forests of the island of New Guinea
Southern crane ostrich
The island of New Guinea has the largest population of birds of paradise in the world. The bird of paradise is a bird of the bird family Of paradise, also known as the "bird of paradise" and "wind bird", inhabiting the tropical rainforest of the island of New Guinea and its nearby islands, there are more than 40 species of New Guinea bird of paradise, bird of paradise, bird of paradise, bird of paradise, bird of paradise, birds The New Guinea Bird of Paradise, also known as the Red Feather Bird of Paradise, lives only in the northeast and south of the island of New Guinea, with a body length of 34 cm, a chestnut-red body, a gray-blue beak, a yellow iris of the eyes, and a pair of long black feathers on the tail, which is depicted on the flag of Papua New Guinea and is the "national bird" of Papua New Guinea.
New Guinea Bird of Paradise
The eastern half of the island of New Guinea – the main island of Papua New Guinea
Flag of Papua New Guinea
The Independent State of Papua New Guinea is a country composed of more than 600 islands such as the island of New Guinea, the island of New Britain and the island of New Ireland, of which the eastern half of the island of New Guinea accounts for more than 85% of the total area of the country, and the population accounts for more than 80% of the country, which is the main island of Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea has 22 first-level administrative regions (20 provinces, one autonomous region and national capital region), of which 16 are in the eastern half of the island of New Guinea. The Independent State of Papua New Guinea was formally established in 1975 with an area of 463,000 square kilometers and a population of 8.08 million (2016), inhabited mainly by Papua and Melanesians, and the official languages are English and Pikin. Papua New Guinea's economic development level is not high, with agriculture and mining as the economic pillars, and 85% of the country's population lives in rural areas; the main export is crude copper, gold, coffee, cocoa, copra, palm oil, timber and canned tuna. In 2019, PNG's GDP per capita was only US$2,742 (IMF, international exchange rate); PNG's Human Development Index was 0.543 (UNDP Human Development Report 2019), which is a "low HDI country".
Port Moresby
Port Moresby, the largest city and capital of PNG, is located on the southeast coast of the island of New Guinea, near the Gulf of Papua. Port Moresby was originally a Papuan fishing village, and in 1873 the British warship John Mords ratio landed here and named the place Port Moresby after himself, and in 1945 the capital of the Australian territory "Papua and New Guinea Territory" was set in Port Moresby, and in 1975 it became the capital of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. Port Moresby has a tropical dry and wet season climate, a dry season with little precipitation from June to November, and a rainy season from December to May, with an average annual precipitation of about 1,000 mm due to the southeast trade winds parallel to the coastline, making it the wettest place on the island of New Guinea. Port Moresby has a population of more than 500,000, making it the largest city in the entire island of New Guinea; the suburbs have Jacksons International Airport, which can provide direct flights to Manila, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Brisbane, Hong Kong and other cities. The Port Moresby landmark is the Papua New Guinea Parliament Building, completed in 1984, whose traditional design incorporates modern building techniques.
Parliament House in Papua New Guinea
West Irian
The western half of the island of New Guinea is now part of Indonesia, which indonesia calls the island of Irian, so the area is also called West Irian. In the 17th century, the Dutch began to invade the island of New Guinea, from 1898 to 1948 as part of the Dutch East Indies, from 1949 to 1961 to establish Dutch New Guinea, in 1961 Indonesia invaded West Irian, and by 1969 the area officially joined the Indonesian territory. In 1969, the Indonesian government established Irian Chaya Province in the West Irian region, and in 2003 two provinces were separated from Irian Chaya Province , Papua Province and West Papua Province. The province of Papua, which occupies most of West Irian (including the western part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby islands), is the easternmost and largest province in Indonesia (319,000 square kilometers) and has a population of 3.48 million (2014), mostly Papuans, with more than 80% of its inhabitants practicing Christianity. Located in the westernmost part of the island of New Guinea, West Papua province includes the Bird of Paradise Peninsula, Bobbre Peninsula and nearby islands in the western part of New Guinea, with an area of about 140,000 square kilometers and a population of 877,000 (2014), of which 60% are Papuans and 36% are Ethnic Javanese; 60% of the residents of West Papua are Christian and 38% of the residents of West Papua are Muslims.
The West Irian area is home to Lorenz National Park and Vasur National Park. Located in the southeast of Papua Province near the border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, Vasur National Park is known as the "Serengeti of Papua" due to its vast wetlands and rich biodiversity, and is also an internationally important wetland protected by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Lorenz National Park is named after the famous Dutch explorer Inhendrick Lorenz, who came to this expedition in 1909, located in the Indonesian province of Papua, with an area of 25,000 square kilometers, is the largest national park in Southeast Asia, and was inscribed on unesco's World Heritage List in 1999. Lorenz National Park is one of the most biodiverse national parks in the world, including marine areas, mangroves, freshwater swamp forests, lowland forests, mountain forests, alpine meadows, equatorial glaciers and other ecological areas, the highest peak of New Guinea, Chaya Peak, is located in the north of the park; there are 630 species of birds and 123 species of mammals recorded in the park, and famous animals such as the original echidna, Australian echidna, tree kangaroo, possum, possum, southern crane, purple-breasted crested dove, cockroach and so on. The World Heritage Committee's assessment of Lorenz National Park is that Lorenz National Park covers an area of 2.5 million hectares, is the largest protected area in Southeast Asia, and is the only one in the world that includes both snow-covered mountains and tropical marine environments and vast lowland swamps; it is located at the place where two continental plates collide, where the geological conditions are complex, both the formation of mountains and the important activity of glaciation; and the preservation of fossil remains that record the evolution of life in New Guinea This area has the local characteristics of flora and fauna and rich biodiversity.
Lorenz National Park
The largest city in the West Irian region is Jayapura, located on the northern coast of Papua Province, the capital of Dutch New Guinea (then known as Dia in the Netherlands) from 1910 to 1962, renamed The City of Sukarno in 1963, and renamed Jayapura (meaning Victory City) in 1968. Jayapura is now the capital of Papua Province, Indonesia, with a population of 320,000 (2014).
The city of Jayapura in Indonesia