Papua New Guinea Introduction - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Background

The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives. Since 2001, Bougainville has experienced autonomy; a referendum asking the population if they would like independence or greater self rule occurred in November 2019, with almost 98% of voters choosing independence.

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Definitions and Notes

NOTE: The information regarding Papua New Guinea on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Papua New Guinea 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Papua New Guinea 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.