Ten fun facts about Papua New Guinea
Fact 1
The Island of New Guinea is named after the African country with the same name.
Fact 2
Papua New Guinea and Indonesia share the island of New Guinea which is one of the world’s largest islands.
Fact 3
By 2013 figures, the Papua New Guinea population stands just above 7 million but over 850 indigenous languages are spoken here.
Fact 4
It is one of the very few places on earth which lie close to the equator where places at higher altitudes experience snowfall.
Fact 5
The world’s only known poisonous bird, the Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) is native to Papua New Guinea.
Fact 6
The country holds ceremonies where hundreds of valuables or pigs are distributed to all the guests.
Fact 7
Even until the 1950’s cannibalism and headhunting were rampant in Papua New Guinea.
Fact 8
Until 1933 the country used sea-shells as its national currency. Post that, it switched to the Kina.
Fact 9
The “kuk” is an early agricultural swampy site in the New Guinea highlands. This land has been traditionally drained for ten thousand years and agriculture in the region dates way back to around six and a half thousand years.
Fact 10
Until this day, the monarch of the U.K serves as the Head of Papua New Guinea.
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