Papua New Guinea

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Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (pronunciation: /ˈpæpjuə njuː ˈɡɪni, ˈpɑː-/, US: /ˈpɑːpwə-, ˈpɑːpjə-, ˈpɑːpə-/; Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini; Hiri Motu: Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea (Tok Pisin: Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; Hiri Motu: Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country in Oceania that occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia.

Etymology

The word Papua is derived from an old local term of uncertain origin. "New Guinea" (Nueva Guinea) was the name coined by the Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez. In 1545, he noted the resemblance of the people to those he had earlier seen along the Guinea coast of Africa. The name is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies, ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants.

Related Terms

  • Melanesia: A subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji.
  • Oceania: A geographic region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
  • New Guinea: The world's second-largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 785,753 km2.
  • Tok Pisin: A creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea.
  • Hiri Motu: Another language spoken in Papua New Guinea.

External links

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