Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Political System

According to Digopaul.com,
the official name of the country of Papua New Guinea is:
Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea |
The state is a constitutional monarchy whose head of state is the Queen of
England, currently Elizabeth II. This is represented by the Governor General in
Papua New Guinea. He is elected by parliament for six years and is bound by the
instructions of the cabinet that the prime minister has formed. The governor
general must be a citizen of Papua New Guinea.
The head of government is the prime minister, who is appointed by the governor
general in parliament.
There is a unicameral parliament with 109 seats, which is freely elected every
five years.
A large number of parties are represented in parliament, which are not composed
on the basis of a party program, but rather according to interest groups and
personalities.
The party structures are accordingly very unstable.
The voting age is 18 years.
The state is made up of the following provinces:
- Bougainville, with an area of 9,300 km2
- Central, with an area of 29,500 km2,
with about 145,000 residents and the capital Konedobu
- Gulf, with an area of 34,500 km2, with
around 70,000 residents and the capital Kerema
- East New Britain, with an area of 15,500 km2,
with approx. 190,000 residents and the capital Rabaul
- East Sepik, with an area of 42,800 km2,
with approx. 255,000 residents and the capital Wewak
- Eastern Highlands, with an area of 11,200 km2,
with approx. 300,000 residents and the capital Goroka
- Enga, with an area of 12,800 km2, with
approx. 240,000 residents and the capital Wabag
- Madang, with an area of 29,000 km2,
with approx. 255,000 residents and the capital Madang
- Manus, with an area of 2,100 km2, with
approx. 33,000 residents and the capital Lorengau
- Milne Bay, with an area of 16,202 km2,
with around 160,000 residents and the capital Alotau
- Morobe, with an area of 34,500 km2,
with approx. 380,000 residents and the capital Lae
- National Capital District, with an area of 240 km2,
with approx. 190,000 residents and the capital Waigani
- New Ireland, with an area of 9,600 km2,
with approx. 88,000 residents and the capital Kavieng
- North Solomons, with an area of 9,300 km2,
with approx. 155,000 residents and the capital Arawa
- Oro, with an area of 22,800 km2, with
about 100,000 residents and the capital Popndetta
- Sandaun, West Sepik, with an area of 36,300 km2,
with approx. 140,000 residents and the capital Vanimo
- Simbu, with an area of 6,181 km2, with
approx. 185,000 residents and the capital Kundiawa
- Southern Highlands, with an area of 23,800 km2,
with about 320,000 residents and the capital Mendi
- West New Britain, with an area of 24,575 km2,
with around 130,000 residents and the capital Kimbe
- Western, with an area of 99,300 km2,
with approx. 105,000 residents and the capital Daru
- Western Highlands, with an area of 8,500 km2,
with approx. 340,000 residents and the capital Mount Hagen
National anthem
The national anthem of a country is a piece of music that is usually
underlaid with a text and is intended to express the state, lifestyle and
national feeling of a country. It is usually played on particularly festive
occasions, such as state visits, special holidays or to honor politicians,
business leaders, etc. But also at the award ceremony on the occasion of
international sporting events such as the Olympic Games, the Tour de France or
World and European Championships, the national anthem comes respective winning
country for performance.
The national anthem "Arise, all you sons of this land" of
Papua New Guinea was written and set to music by Tom Shacklady, a former
Australian marine.
In English
O arise all you sons of this land
Let us sing of our joy to be free
Praising God and rejoicing to be
Papua New Guinea.Chorus
Shout our name from the mountains to seas
Papua New Guinea.
Let us raise our voices and proclaim
Papua New Guinea.Now give thanks to the good Lord above
For his kindness, His wisdom and love,
For this land of our fathers so free,
Papua New Guinea.Chorus
Shout again for the whole world to hear
Papua New Guinea.
We're independent and we're free,
Papua New Guinea. |
And in the English translation
Oh, arise all the sons of this land,
let's sing of joy to be free
And praise God and be happy
Papua New Guinea.Gets the name from the mountains to the sea
Papua New Guinea.
Let's raise our voices and proclaim
Papua New Guinea.Now thank God above us
for his kindness, wisdom and love,
for this land of our fathers so free
Papua New Guinea.Call again for the whole world to hear
Papua New Guinea.
We are independent and we are free
Papua New Guinea. |
National flag
Based on flag descriptions by
Countryaah.com, the national flag of Papua New Guinea was designed in 1972 by 15-year-old
Susan Karike, who won the competition with her design.
The flag is divided diagonally and shows the Southern Cross as white stars in
the lower black part. A yellow bird of paradise can be seen in the upper red
part.
The winner describes her idea as follows: The stars represent the legend of the
five sisters who cried out for yams when they were hungry. The white color
stands for the lime with which the betel nut is chewed in the country.
The colors red and yellow are the colors that a variety of the country's flowers
have.

Papua New Guinea: People Known
Visual artist
- Timothy Akis: contemporary artist
- Jakupa Ako: contemporary artist
- Ruki Fame: contemporary artist
- Cecil King Wungi: contemporary artist
- Kaipel Ka: contemporary painter
- Simon Gende: contemporary painter
- Mathias Kauage: contemporary painter
- Gickmai Kundun: contemporary painter, sculptor
- Gigs Wena: contemporary painter
- John Siune: contemporary painter
- Mary Gole: contemporary sculptor
- David Laise: The New Ireland artist designed the
facade of the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port Moresby according to
traditional patterns from different tribes.
- Archie Brennan: The artist designed the facade of
Parliament in Port Moresby according to traditional patterns.
- Michale Mel and Anna Mel: contemporary performance
artists
Writer and poet
- Vincent Eri: The writer was the first native writer to
publish the novel "The Crocodile" in 1970.
- Russell Soaba: The local writer published the novel
"Maiba" in 1985.
- Sir Paulias Matane: The writer was extremely
productive. His works include "My Childhood in New Guinea" from 1972 and
"Aimbe the Pastor" from 1979.
- John Kasaipwalova: He wrote the book "Sails Towards the
Midnight Sun" which is based on legends of the Trobiands.
Papua New Guinea: Animals
Mammals
Most mammals belong to the marsupials, as there was a land connection between
Papua New Guinea and Australia. Nevertheless everything has developed a little
differently here. The kangaroos live on the trees and are called tree kangaroos
accordingly.
There are six different types of these small marsupials. They share this
ecological niche with the couscous, which is also a marsupial. Both are now
threatened with extinction due to the deforestation of the
rainforests. Marsupials also include bag martens, opposums, bag mice, and
wallabies.
Echidna is another notable mammal.
Another notable mammal is the beaked hedgehog, which makes its home at
heights of 300 to 3000 m. Characteristic is the long flat tail and especially
the flat, broad, leathery and tactile beak. The ears are barely visible and the
paws also have webbed feet between the grave claws. The crepuscular solitary
animal feeds mainly on worms, snails, crabs and mussels. The male has poison
thorns on its hind legs, but they are harmless to humans. It is unusual that the
females lay eggs and hatch them, but the hatched young are then suckled. Shortly
before the female lays the egg, it forms a pouch into which the egg then
migrates and is incubated there for about 10 days. In the bag are also the
mammary glands, on which the hatched young animal then sucks. The beaked
hedgehog is related to the platypus.
Reptiles
Crocodiles, monitor lizards
The 3.50 m tall New Guinea crocodile can be encountered in the
freshwater rivers and lakes. The saltwater crocodile, which is the largest
living crocodile, is slightly longer, with the longest animal ever measured
being 6.2 m long. It lives in coastal waters, mangrove swamps and at estuaries
and is relatively widespread. Its distribution area includes the coasts
of Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Burma and Cambodia, the Philippines, the
Bismarck Islands, Australia and the Solomon Islands. This crocodile has been
protected since the late 1970s.
Monitor lizards are not uncommon, Papua and emerald monitor lizards are more
common, but Komodo lizards are also represented.
Snakes (non-venomous)
Snakes are not uncommon in Papua New Guinea, and snakes are both venomous and
harmless. The non-poisonous include the bright green emerald python and the
green tree python.
Poisonous animals
One of the most venomous snakes in the world is the local inland taipan.
The Papuan royal brown snake and death otter are also highly poisonous.
The Great Blue-Ringed Octopus is very pretty to look at, but no less
dangerous. The name is derived from the bright blue rings that appear on the
yellowish basic color and often represent a warning to attackers. The octopuses
should therefore not be annoyed because their saliva is highly toxic due to a
nerve poison and leads to paralysis of the muscles. In humans, paralysis of the
respiratory muscles usually leads to death.
The great blue-ringed octopus has tentacles around 7 cm long, lives on coral
reefs and should be avoided if possible.
The cone snails, especially the conus species, are also dangerous. They shoot
down tiny poison arrows that can penetrate the skin of humans. The consequences
of this are swelling, severe local pain, vomiting, symptoms of paralysis and, in
the worst case, even heart failure. The cone snails live mainly in the mud and
on sandbanks and feed on worms, mollusks and other marine organisms. You can
easily recognize them by their net-like patterned housing.
Of the scorpion fish that live in the sea, not all species are dangerous.
Usually these fish are difficult to spot because they can camouflage themselves
perfectly. You should therefore be careful, because many species have poisonous
spines or poison glands. In addition to severe pain, the symptoms then include
nausea, vomiting, sweating and local necrosis. However, there are no known
deaths.
Birds
Most species of the bird of paradise are represented in Papua New Guinea - it
is not for nothing that it is also depicted on the national flag. Nonetheless,
the colorful and beautiful bird is now threatened with extinction. The
bowerbird, which is related to the bird of paradise, is widespread and well
known, and Papuan hornbills are not uncommon either.
The flightless cassowaries, a subspecies of the Emu, about 1.70 m tall, have
become very rare. It is better not to annoy them, as a kick with the leg can be
life-threatening. Last but not least, this is due to the fact that they have a
ten cm long claw on the inner toe, which can be used as a very effective weapon.
The ground-dwelling crowned pigeon is endemic (only present in Papua New
Guinea). With a size of about 76 cm, it is one of the largest pigeons and can be
easily recognized by its blue-gray plumage and the characteristic hood on its
head. Despite the ground-dwelling species, it builds its nest in the trees,
whereby the clutch consists of only one egg.
The 25 cm tall birds with their black and orange plumage, which belong to the
Pitohui bird genus, are somewhat unusual. By feeding on the poisonous Melyridae
beetles, they have stored the poison in their feathers, skin and even in their
muscles. In this way they protect themselves from possible predators. These
extraordinary birds were only discovered in 1992.
Insects, spiders
The largest butterflies in the world, the birdwings, live in the Arfak
Mountains. This also includes the Queen Alexandra bird wing, which is the
largest of all bird wings with a wingspan of almost 30 cm. These colorful
butterflies have become very rare and their population is endangered.
The spider spider and the braided spider are common spiders.
Bees, wasps, flies and ants also live here. And don't forget the numerous
species of mosquitoes.
There is a lot to discover for divers around Papua New Guinea. Rainbow fish,
sawfish, seahorses and octopuses up to 5 m long live here. On the outer coral
reefs one can encounter manta rays, but also reef and hammerhead sharks and
other types of sharks, various types of rays, mackerels, barracudas and large
schools of tuna are at home in these waters. Toad, mandarin and scorpion fish
feel particularly at home in Kimbe Bay. Manatees, dolphins and orcas, on the
other hand, have become rather rare here.
You have to be careful of sea snakes, almost all of which are very poisonous,
and of the equally dangerous cone snails.
Papua New Guinea: Plants
Trees
The coast of Papua New Guinea is lined with mangroves, while acacias and
eucalyptus trees grow at altitudes of 1,000 to 2,000 m in the south of the
country.
Of course, palm trees also make up a large part of the trees, which in the
rainforests of Papua New Guinea, as in other rainforests, have a rather poor
stand. Woods such as B. Merbauholz are very popular in the furniture industry
and are cut down on a large scale.
Crops
The most common crops include bananas, sweet potatoes, coastal coconut palms,
cocoa pods and the pineapple. The skins of the pumpkins are used in a variety of
ways, for example. B. as a musical instrument or as dishes. In the lowlands,
there are entire forests of sago palm trees, which are a staple food for the
locals. Sago, a starch thickener, is obtained from the pulp of the palm.
In the lowlands, there are entire forests of sago palm trees, which are a
staple food for the locals. Sago, a starch thickener, is obtained from the pulp
of the palm.
Poisonous plants
Caution is advised with the bean. She has hair, which, similar to
the stinging nettle native to Europe, can cause severe stinging of the skin and
skin irritation when touched.
More plants
In the ever-dwindling rainforests, the variety of plants seems to be almost
infinite. Around 2000 species of orchids have been counted to date. There are
several types of carnivorous plants, as well as numerous tree ferns, mosses, and
lichens that frolic on the ground and trees.
An extremely remarkable plant is the rafflesia, which is the largest
flowering plant in the world with a flower diameter of up to 1 m. It grows
exclusively in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia and only blooms for
5-7 days. The Rafflesia lives parasitically, as it taps the roots of other
plants and thus gets the necessary nutrients. It has no stem, roots or leaves,
gives off a carrion odor and is therefore also pollinated by flies.
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