A brief introduction to New Guinea

New Guinea

The largest island in the Pacific and the second largest island in the world (after Greenland). Also known as Irian Island. It is located on the south side of the equator in the Western Pacific, adjacent to the Malay Islands in southeastern Asia to the west, and to the northeast of the Australian continent across the Arafura Sea and Coral Sea to the south. To the east of 141° east longitude and the islands such as New Britain and New Ireland are the independent country of Papua New Guinea; to the west of 141° and the coastal islands are a province of Indonesia called Irian Jaya. There is very little contact between the two parts of the island. The border treaty signed by the two countries in 1979 prohibits people from living in border areas.

The whole island is slightly northwest-southeast. It is about 2,400 kilometers long from east to west, and 640 kilometers at its widest point in the middle. It covers an area of ??approximately 785,000 square kilometers, including 818,000 square kilometers including coastal islands. The whole island is mountainous. The mountains in the central part are tangled and stretch from northwest to southeast, forming a continuous central mountain range. Most mountains and plateaus are above 4,000 meters above sea level. The towering mountains in the west are collectively called the Snowy Mountains. The highest peak is Jaya Peak (formerly known as Carstens Peak), with an altitude of 5030 meters, making it the highest point in Oceania. The eastern section is the Malle Mountains, which gradually decrease to the east and then extend to the southeast, forming the Owen Stanley Ridge of the Papua Peninsula. Many peaks across the island are extinct volcanic cones. Some mountainous areas have recently experienced volcanic eruptions and frequent earthquakes. These tall east-west mountains, with sheer cliffs and rugged roads, have become a huge obstacle to transportation from the north to the south of the island. On the north and south sides of the central ridge, there are coastal plains of varying widths, of which the Ligu-Fry Plain in the south is the largest, with vast and low coastal swamps and mangroves. The coast is winding and has many harbors. There are many islands along the coast formed by volcanism or coral reefs. The larger rivers originate from the central mountainous areas and flow into the ocean from the north and south slopes. The main rivers are the Mamberamo River, the Sepik River, the Lamu River, and the Markham River in the north, and the Digur and Fry rivers in the south. The upper reaches of these rivers have steep slopes and rapid flows, carrying a large amount of sediment with them, forming alluvial plains of varying sizes on both sides of the middle and lower reaches.

The climate is hot and rainy. However, due to the influence of the monsoon, the northwest wind prevails from January to April and is controlled by the southeast trade wind from May to August. In the coastal low-level areas, the average monthly temperature does not change much throughout the year, but there are still glaciers and snow in the high mountain areas. The annual precipitation is about 1000-2000 mm along the southern coast, 2500-3000 mm along the northern coast, and can reach 3000-4000 mm in the central mountainous area. Affected by high temperature and rain, the soil is prone to erosion and loss, has strong leaching effect, and has low fertility. Only intermountain basins with thick sedimentary soil and areas with fertile volcanic soil are suitable for agricultural development. With the influence of regional differences in climate and altitude changes, the vertical distribution of vegetation is very obvious: the coastal low-level areas below 1,000 meters above sea level are dominated by tropical rainforests, with a wide variety of plants, dense forests, evergreen all year round, among which climbing plants are particularly Lush. In alpine areas above 3,500 meters, cold temperate plants such as ferns, alpine meadows and even mosses and lichens grow. Above 4,400 meters is the permanent snow zone. There are also various types of wild animals depending on the regional differences in climate and plant distribution.

Important mineral deposits include gold, copper, nickel, oil and natural gas. The middle and upper reaches of many rivers in the mountainous area have rapid currents and rich hydraulic resources. Forests account for more than 70% of the island's land area, most of which are virgin tropical forests. Due to the relatively backward economy and difficult transportation, most resources have not yet been developed and utilized.

According to archaeological speculation, the island was inhabited 50,000 years ago. Sedentary agriculture began 9,000 years ago. Europeans arrived in the first half of the 16th century, and colonization began at the end of the 18th century. The Dutch first occupied the west, and then the British and Germans invaded one after another. After World War I, Australia took over in 1921, and after World War II, the two territories were merged (1945). It gained autonomy in 1973 and became fully independent in 1975. The former Dutch New Guinea was handed over to Indonesia in 1963 and became the province of Irian Jaya in 1969. There are approximately 4.13 million residents on the island. The race is complex, generally short in stature, and mainly belongs to Melanesians and Papuans. Population density varies greatly between regions. The east is more densely populated than the west, and the coastal areas are more densely populated than the inland mountainous areas. In addition to several small and medium-sized port cities along the coast, there are many emerging small and medium-sized towns in the eastern mountainous areas. High mountainous areas and coastal swamp areas are extremely sparsely populated. Residents in the east speak Melanesian or Pidgin, while residents in the west speak Malay. Languages ??vary greatly from region to region. A small number of coastal town residents believe in Christianity and Islam, and the vast interior still widely maintains the customs of primitive society and believes in magic and magic. Family values ??are deeply ingrained and living standards are low.

Ecology

With approximately 786,000 square kilometers of tropical land, New Guinea has enormous ecological value: 11,000 plant species; almost 600 unique bird species, including birds of paradise; more than 400 species of amphibians; 455 species of butterflies; marsupials including bondegezou, Goodfellow's tree kangaroo, Huon tree kangaroo, long-beaked echidna, tenkile, mountain rat, cuscus, and possums; and a wide variety of mammals. Most species, at least their origins, share the Australian continent of the same large landmass that was part of it until fairly recent geological times. See overview of Australian New Guinea.

History

The European colonial history of the island began in 1828, when the Dutch occupied the western half of the island and successively established a trading post in 1895 and a trading post in 1910. The provincial capital Hollandia (today's Jayapura). In 1883, France occupied the southeastern part of the island and renamed it New Ireland, but it was soon occupied by the self-governing colonial territory of Queensland. The British objected to Queensland's occupation of New Ireland in 1884 and placed the area under direct British jurisdiction. The remaining northeastern part of the island was also occupied by Germany in the same year and claimed as its protectorate.

In 1906, Britain handed over the administration of New Ireland to Australia. During World War I, Australia forcibly seized German territories in New Guinea, which were recognized by the League of Nations in 1920.

In 1942, the Japanese army moved south to the island and invaded the territory of Dutch New Guinea and eastern Australia at the same time. The highlands in the east and north of the island became the main battlefield in the Southwest Pacific during World War II. From time to time, local Aboriginal people provided assistance to Japanese troops in their fight against Australian and American troops, and helped transport wounded soldiers to the island.

After the end of World War II, western New Guinea held elections in 1959, established the Papua Parliament, and prepared for independence on April 5, 1961. At that time, the Parliament had decided that the name of the newly established country would be West Papua, established a new national emblem, a new national anthem, and a new flag with the morning star as the pattern. The new flag was raised on December 1, 1961, alongside the Dutch flag. On December 18, 1961, Indonesia invaded West Papua, ending its short-lived independence. In 1975, Australia officially granted eastern New Guinea full independent status and established the State of Papua New Guinea.

Supplement

It is also known as Irian Island, with an area of ??785,000 kilometers 2. It is the second largest island in the world after Greenland. The island's inhabitants are overwhelmingly Melanesian and Papuan.

The entire island is mountainous, with most of the mountains and plateaus above 4,000 meters above sea level. The coast is full of swamps and red pine forests. The coastline is winding and has many bays. The entire island has a tropical climate with high temperature and rain, with the temperature every month being around 27°C. However, the climate in the mountains changes with altitude.

The economy of Irian Island has always been based on agriculture. Yams, potatoes, taro and other crops and bananas are the main foods. Economic crops include coconut, rubber, cocoa, coffee, etc. In addition, forestry and mining also have a certain status, and the processing industry is very weak, with only some agricultural products processing. There are a few small and medium-sized cities and ports along the coast, while the vast inland and mountainous areas are rarely developed.

Irian Island is bounded by 141° east longitude, the eastern half is Papua New Guinea, and the western half is called Irian Jaya, which is the territory of Indonesia.