The World’s Most Linguistically Diverse Country
Papua New Guinea has over 840 living languages — approximately 12% of all languages on Earth — the most of any country in the world. This extreme linguistic diversity (for 10.5 million people) reflects the country’s rugged terrain (the central Highlands’ valleys kept neighbouring communities isolated from each other for millennia) and long history of human settlement (50,000+ years).
PNG’s Highlands populations were only contacted by Europeans in the 1930s — making this one of the last major “first contact” discoveries in modern history. Explorer Michael Leahy encountered populations of hundreds of thousands of people who had no idea Europeans existed. Some populations remained uncontacted into the 1960s and 1970s.
The country occupies the eastern half of New Guinea (the western half is Indonesian) plus hundreds of offshore islands — about 85% of the population lives in rural villages practicing subsistence agriculture, speaking local languages and following traditional culture. Tok Pisin (English-based Creole) is the lingua franca that connects the country’s linguistic diversity.
PNG is among the world’s most biodiverse countries — home to birds of paradise (38 species, most endemic), tree kangaroos, and thousands of other endemic species. The country also has major gold, copper, and LNG deposits — resource extraction dominates the modern economy but has caused significant environmental damage and local conflict (the Bougainville secessionist war, 1988-1998, was partly driven by conflict over the massive Panguna copper mine).
A Brief History
Human settlement c. 50,000 BC — making PNG one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited regions. European contact 16th-19th centuries. German New Guinea (north) and British New Guinea/Papua (south). Australian administration from 1906/1914. Independence 1975.
Geography and Climate
PNG covers 462,840 km². Mountainous central Highlands, lowland rainforest, coast, and 600+ islands. Climate: tropical.
Culture, Language and Religion
English, Tok Pisin, and Hiri Motu are official. Religion: approximately 95% Christian, with strong traditional beliefs persisting. Over 840 languages recognised.
The Economy
PNG has a lower-middle-income economy (~$32 billion GDP). LNG, gold, and copper dominate exports. Most people live by subsistence agriculture.
Travel Guide
Entry: E-visa available. Port Moresby has security concerns; the Highlands and outer islands are remote but culturally spectacular.
Surprising Facts
- PNG has over 840 living languages — about 12% of all languages on Earth.
- The Highlands populations were only contacted by Europeans in the 1930s — one of the last major first-contact events.
- PNG shares the island of New Guinea with Indonesia (West Papua) — Earth’s 2nd-largest island after Greenland.
- Birds of paradise — 38 species, mostly endemic — are PNG’s cultural and ornithological symbol.
- The Bougainville secessionist war (1988-1998) followed conflict over the Panguna copper mine.
- Tok Pisin — an English-based Creole — is PNG’s true lingua franca across the 840+ languages.
Sources and References
See the frontmatter for cited sources.