Papua New Guinea

Topic: Oceania

Why in the news?

• Papua New Guinea has the third-largest rainforest in the world, but it is facing a serious crisis. Illegal logging activities are harming the environment, causing human rights violations, and leading to widespread corruption. 
• At the just-concluded 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, local environmental groups from Papua New Guinea raised these urgent issues and called for international action to stop illegal logging that is damaging one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.

Source: Down To Earth

About Papua New Guinea:

• It is an island country in Oceania that lies in the south-western Pacific.
• It includes the eastern half of New Guinea (the world’s second largest island) and many small offshore islands.
• Its neighbors include Indonesia (west), Australia (south) and Solomon Islands (southeast).
• Its capital is Port Moresby.
• It has mainly mountainous terrain but there are low-lying plains in southern New Guinea.
• The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians.
• English is the main language of government and commerce. Linguistically, it is the world\'s most diverse country, with more than 800 languages.
• The majority of Papua New Guinea’s people are at least nominally Christian.
• Government:
• Papua New Guinea achieved independence in 1975.
• It is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth.
  • The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is head of state, and the Prime Minister is head of government.