Fun facts about New Guinea
5 facts - tap any card to flip it and learn more.
The name Papua is believed to derive from the Malay word meaning 'frizzly-haired', referring to the curly hair of the island's inhabitants.
New Guinea
Indonesia/PNG
New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). It has the third-largest remaining rainforest globally, and the highest plant biodiversity of any island.
From the “Names” section
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: SaltedSturgeon · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Guinea is often compared in shape to a bird-of-paradise, leading to the names Bird's Head Peninsula and Bird's Tail Peninsula.
New Guinea
Indonesia/PNG
New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). It has the third-largest remaining rainforest globally, and the highest plant biodiversity of any island.
From the “Geography” section
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: SaltedSturgeon · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Guinea is part of the same tectonic plate as Australia and was once connected to it during low sea levels.
New Guinea
Indonesia/PNG
New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). It has the third-largest remaining rainforest globally, and the highest plant biodiversity of any island.
From the “Relation to surroundings” section
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: SaltedSturgeon · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Guinea is home to nearly a thousand different tribal groups and an equivalent number of separate languages, making it the most linguistically diverse area in the world.
New Guinea
Indonesia/PNG
New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). It has the third-largest remaining rainforest globally, and the highest plant biodiversity of any island.
From the “Demographics” section
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: SaltedSturgeon · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Guinea has been identified as the world's most floristically diverse island, surpassing Madagascar and Borneo.
New Guinea
Indonesia/PNG
New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). It has the third-largest remaining rainforest globally, and the highest plant biodiversity of any island.
From the “Biodiversity and ecology” section
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: SaltedSturgeon · CC BY-SA 4.0