Papua New Guinea

Lore & Background

The eastern half of New Guinea was divided in 1884 between German New Guinea in the north and British New Guinea in the south, with the latter ceded to Australia in 1902 and reorganised as the Territory of Papua. Australia occupied German New Guinea during World War I and then administered the territory as a League of Nations mandate. The nation was the site of fierce fighting during the New Guinea campaign of World War II, following which the two territories were united in 1949. Papua New Guinea was granted independence as a Commonwealth realm in 1975. Representing the monarch is a governor-general. Politics take place within a Westminster system, with the government led by a prime minister. Members of the National Parliament, the unicameral legislative body, also serve as provincial leaders. The name 'Papua' is derived from a local term of uncertain origin. 'New Guinea' was coined by Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez in 1545, noting the resemblance of the people to those along the Guinea coast of Africa. The hyphenated form 'Papua-New Guinea' was adopted by the Papua‑New Guinea Provisional Administration Act 1945. The name 'Territory of Papua and New Guinea' was used following formal administrative union in 1949. In 1971, the House of Assembly renamed the territory 'Papua New Guinea', which was retained upon independence.

In Their Own Story

Susan Karike, then just 15 years old, entered the nationwide design competition in early 1971. Her entry stood out against the rejected "mechanically contrived" proposal of Hal Holman's tricolour. Karike's design featured a bold diagonal division: the upper red triangle carrying a gold Raggiana bird-of-paradise and the lower black triangle displaying five white stars in the shape of the Southern Cross. This choice reflected the traditional colours of many Papua New Guinean tribes while acknowledging the German Empire's historical presence through the use of red, black, and white elements. The parliament formally made her design official on March 11, 1971. By September 16, 1975, when the country gained independence, Karike's creation had become the national symbol, replacing earlier proposals that included a green flag with a bird in the upper hoist used at sports events.

Reader's Guide

The population is highly rural, with only 14% living in urban centres in 2023. The persistence of traditional communities and lifestyles are explicitly protected by the Papua New Guinea Constitution. While official population estimates suggest the population is around 11.8 million, estimates using satellite data put the number closer to 17 million. The population is extremely diverse. There are 840 known spoken languages, making it the most linguistically diverse country in the world. Cultural practices are similarly diverse. Many cultural and linguistic groups are small, although English and Tok Pisin serve as common languages. This diversity has led to friction, especially in politics, and the government has struggled to combat violence against women. The country has a large Christian majority population, of several different denominations, and in March 2025 its constitution was amended to adopt Christianity as the official state religion. The rural and diverse population is a result of highly mountainous geography. The land supports around 5% of all known species, and the export-driven economy is also dependent on natural resources. Papua New Guinea is a developing economy where nearly 40% of the population are subsistence farmers living relatively independently of the cash economy. The country retains close ties to Australia, and has enhanced ties with both Asia and the Pacific.

Did You Know?

• Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse country in the world, with 840 known spoken languages.
• Agriculture was independently developed in the New Guinea highlands around 7000 BC, making it one of the few areas in the world where people independently domesticated plants.
• The sweet potato, introduced by Portuguese traders, likely spread into what is today Papua New Guinea sometime in the 17th or 18th century and became a staple food.