Papua New Guinea Vacation and Trip Information

Papua New Guinea comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, the second largest island in the world. North of Australia between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, the mostly mountainous terrain and lush highland valleys were unknown to the outside world until the 1930s. Home to a large portion of the population, the area has supported agriculture for roughly 10,000 years, possibly longer than anywhere else. Archeological evidence suggests people on the island grew Pacific bananas, yams, taros and other crops at the same time agriculture was developing in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

While the country is about the size of California, the mountains have created thousands of separate communities with different customs, traditions and languages, with over 800 spoken on the island. A folk saying, “For each village, a different culture,” holds true.

Outside the major towns like the capital of Port Moresby, tourist facilities are limited. Civil unrest between communal or clan groups, especially in the Highlands region, is a concern.