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Papua New Guinea
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AN island nation located just north of Australia in the southwest Pacific Ocean, Papua New Guinea (巴布亚新几内亚) is known for its variety. More than 700 languages are spoken. There are dense jungles, snow-capped mountains, exotic birds of paradise, and Stone Age cultures.
The country is composed of the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and a chain of tropical islands, including the Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville. Its area totals 462,839 sqkm. To the west of the mainland portion is Irian Jaya, a province of Indonesia.
The terrain ranges from swampy lowlands in the northwest to central mountains. The highest peak is Mount Wilhelm at 4,509 m.
More than 70 per cent of the country is covered with dense tropical rain forest. Major rivers on the mainland are the Sepik and the Fly. The larger outlying islands are mainly volcanic types surrounded by coral formations.
The geographical extremes have kept people separate, resulting in more than 700 different languages being spoken. Although English is the official language, Melanesian (美拉尼西亚语) and Motu（莫图语）are used by half of the populace.
Port Moresby（莫尔兹比）is the capital and largest city, with a population of 152,100.
(SD-Agencies)
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