• Papua New Guinea (PNG) has more languages than anywhere else in the world. PNG has 12 percent of the world’s languages with more than 850 distinct dialects.

• There are more than 1,000 different cultural groups.

• Many cultures are known for and still practice black magic (puri puri).

• In the PNG Sepik region, the young men slice their skin to resemble crocodiles on their backs, shoulders and upper torsos with razorblades in a scarification initiation rite. They are known as the Crocodile Men.

• PNG is home to 9 percent of the entire world’s bird life and has one of the only poisonous bird species called the ‘Hooded Pitohui’ which carries one of the most powerful toxins known to science.



• PNG has the world’s largest butterfly which has a wingspan of almost 30cm or 12inches.

• PNG has more than 5 percent of the world’s global biodiversity.

• The Tree Kangaroo has an extraordinary ability to jump to the ground from heights of 18m or 59ft without sustaining any injury.

• Humans first arrived in PNG around 60,000 years ago.

• PNG is the 2nd biggest island in the world (shared with Indonesia).

• PNG used to be connected to Australia approximately 10,000 years ago.

• PNG people were plausibly the world’s first agriculturists, with evidence of gardening systems as old as 9,000 years.

• In past years, small shells were used as a form of currency in PNG known as Tabu.

• The average temperature in PNG is between 30-32 degrees Celsius year round or 86-90 degrees Fahrenheit.



• PNG is the 3rd largest tropical rainforest in the world and has 4 percent of the world’s mangrove forest.

• Despite the high temperatures, it often snows on the mountain tops of the mainland.

• PNG lies on the ring of fire and there are still many active volcanoes throughout the country.