Papua New Guinea Information

INTRODUCTION

Journey through the alpine country of Papua New Guinea and find its elevated areas roofed with frost of ice and snow. From volcanic islands to huge glacier heights, from the savannah grasslands to the Australasian Eucalypts, spare your time for a wonderful trekking vacation that reassures you of a breathtaking escapade.

LOCATION OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Papua New Guinea is situated within the Oceania, thereby covering the half of the eastern portion of the New Guinea Island along with other offshore islands. The Indonesian territory of Papua and West Irian Jaya inhabit the western portion of the island. The province is close to the southwestern Pacific Ocean, along the region of Melanesia lying northwards to Australia, and westward to the Solomon Islands.

PHYSICAL MAP OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The province of Papua New Guinea is divided into four distinct sections namely:

• Highlands Region

• Islands Region

• Momase Region

• Papua Region

Papua New Guinea covers a total land space of about 178,691 sq.mi and stands in the fifty-fourth position of being one of the largest countries just after Cameroon. It relates well with Sweden as far as the size is concerned and is larger in size as compared to the US state of California.

Papua New Guinea is mountainous in nature and is engulfed with long stretches of wooded rain forest. The Mount Wilhelm stands as a highest peak with a height of about 14,793 ft. The area even includes large marshlands adjacent the Sepik River and Fly River.

The country is placed along the Pacific Ring of Fire, in collision with numerous tectonic plates. The place is prone to lively volcanoes with a recurrence in upsurge. Earthquakes frequently affect the area accompanied with tsunamis.

Papua New Guinea witnesses severe snowfall in the elevated areas due to its vicinity to the equator.

CLIMATE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The best time to jaunt to Papua New Guinea is during the month of April or November, when it is hardly affected with down pouring and when the soothing trade winds gust by. The months of December to March is probably the time one should avoid visiting this place, which is called as the northwest monsoon season. The southeast monsoon affects the area during the months of May to October. Papua New Guinea is placed along the southern region of the equator that witnesses an opposite weather condition in respect to the Northern Hemisphere. The region experiences a warm and a humid climatic condition with slight amount of showers affecting the region. The elevated regions are cooler in nature while being cooler during the nighttime.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Papua New Guinea is a home of about 700 different species of birds namely the parrots, pigeons, hornbills (kokomos), cassowaries, cockatoos and kingfishers.

The native animals of the area are bats and marsupials like the tree kangaroos, forest wallabies, bandicoots, dolphins, whale, dugongs (sea cows) and echidnas (spiny anteaters).

Orchids are commonly found in this area with about 3000 species surviving within the region. The National Botanic Garden at Port Moresby is recognized for its collection of orchids prevalent within the Southern Hemisphere.