Papua New Guinea Birding Tours
Go to Birding tours in Asia | Birding tours in Australasia | Tours by destination – Map | Tours by destination – List
The Independent State of Papua New Guinea (“Papua New Guinea” or “PNG” hereafter) is a sovereign state in the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and is approximately 178,700 square miles (462,840 square kilometers) in size. PNG is bordered by Indonesia to the west (Papua and West Papua) and to the east are the other island groups that make up Melanesia, of which PNG is part of; these include the Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia. Sitting to the north of PNG, by some way, is Micronesia and to the south, much closer, is Australia. It is only 93 miles (150 kilometers) across the Torres Strait to the tip of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, and approximately 370 miles (595 kilometers) to the Top End of the Northern Territory. The capital of PNG is Port Moresby, located along the southeastern coast of the Papuan Peninsula section of New Guinea, also referred to as the “Bird’s Tail” because New Guinea is often considered to be shaped like a bird-of-paradise!
One of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, PNG is still known to harbor uncontacted peoples living in the remote and difficult-to-access parts of the country. Most of the country’s estimated population of nearly nine million people live in rural areas, with only 13% living in urban areas. Of those living in rural areas, most live in customary communities which are incredibly diverse. Languages continue the diversity trend, with over 850 different languages known in the country, making it the most linguistically diverse place in the world! Nearly 40% of the population exist in a self-sustainable, strongly traditional lifestyle, based on farming.
