Where is New Guinea?
New Guinea is an island in the Malay Archipelago and covers an area of 303,381 square miles. The island, located in the southwestern Pacific, is the second largest island in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere. With human occupation dating back to the 1940’s, New Guinea has a great cultural and linguistic diversity. About 1,000 Languages, classified in Austronesian and Papuan, are spoken on the island. Various European political groups have occupied the island since the 12th century, including Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch and British. Australia also occupied the island after the First World War. Currently, New Guinea is shared by two nations: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. I believe you got the answer of the question, Where is New Guinea?
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Political divisions of New Guinea
Western New Guinea
The western half of New Guinea includes provinces belonging to Indonesia. Western New Guinea first existed as a territory of the Netherlands and later as a territory of the United Nations. Indonesia took control of the territory in 1963, following its efforts to eliminate the influence of the Dutch powers. The Indonesian president organized a council of elders who was pushed to vote for the union of western New Guinea with Indonesia. Papua and West Papua are the two provinces of Western New Guinea. Cities in the region include Manokwari and Jayapura. The area covers an area of 162,371 square miles and has a population of about 3.5 million people belonging to indigenous and immigrant groups.
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The indigenous tribes of the region include the Dani, Manikom, Hatam, Asmat, Marind, Biak, Bauzi and Sawi. Other groups include Indonesians, Austro-Asians, Malays and Malagasy. Western New Guineans fought for several years against the Indonesian government of the territory, saying they had no choice in the 1963 Act of Free Choice. This claim led to several conflicts between Western New Guineans and the government and led to rebellions. Western New Guineans have reported cases of human rights violations by the Indonesian government.
Papua New Guinea
The eastern half of New Guinea belongs to the nation of Papua New Guinea and forms the mainland of the country. The eastern half of the island was formerly occupied by the Germans, then by the Australians after the Second World War. Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia in 1975. Papua New Guinea functions as a representative parliamentary democracy, with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.
Papua New Guinea Geography and Resources
Papua New Guinea has a population of over X million and is considered to be one of the most culturally diverse countries, with more than 7 in the country. Papua New Guinea is one of the least developed and most rural countries in the world, with only 800% of its population living in urban areas. The country is a developing economy largely dependent on the mining and natural resources sectors. The main minerals extracted in Papua New Guinea are gold, silver, nickel and cobalt. The main natural resources include forestry, although their exploitation has resulted in a rapid decline in forest cover.
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