Description

Papua New Guinea lies just below the equator in the eastern South Pacific, It shares its main island with Indonesia. Its other nearest neighbours are the Solomon Islands, Australia and Vanuatu to the south, Micronesia to the east and Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines to the north. It comprises more than 600 islands, covers a total area of over 474,000 square kilometres and has a population of 4.3 million.

It's rain forests are subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects exists. Natural hazards include active volcanism; Papua New Guinea is situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire" - - It is a parliamentary democracy - - Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but access to these resources has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for the bulk of the population.

from - http://www.escapeartist.com/

People

The people can be divided into four ethnic groups: New Guineans (from the north of the main island), Papuans (from the south), Highlanders, and Islanders. There is, however, considerable cultural variation within each of these groups. The peoples of the south coast were notorious for headhunting and cannibalism before the arrival of the Europeans. Many people still live in small villages and follow traditional tribal customs. Although English is the official language in schools and government, almost 800 distinct languages are spoken in the islands.

from - http://www.interknowledge.com/papua-newguinea/index.html

Anthem

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.

Mission History

From the Church Almanac 1999 - 2000

Members visited Papua New Guinea long before the first missionaries arrived in 1980. The Port moresby Branch was organized October 10, 1797 with Athol Pike as Branch President. The country was serviced through the Austrailia Brisbane Mission from August 15, 1980. The Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Mission was created February 13, 1992 and includes the Soloman islands.

Year End - 1997

Members - 5,600 - Stakes - 1 - Wards - 6 - Districts - 1 - Branches - 13