Interesting facts about Papua New Guinea in 2024?

1. The island of New Guinea was named after the African nation of Guinea. The island is shared with Indonesia on the Eastern half and the nation of PNG in the East;
2. PNG is one of the most heterogeneous nations in the world. Hundreds of ethnic tribes, using over 850 indigenous languages, make PNG the second densest country for languages;
3. With 96% of the population identifying themselves as members of the Christian church, PNG is a very welcoming place for Jewish tourists and investors. Over the past few years PNG and Israel have developed strong political and diplomatic links;
4. PNG became independent from Australia in 1975. It is still a member of the British Commonwealth and has the Queen of England as the Head of State;
5. The high mountains and volcanoes of PNG bring occasional snow fall, even though the country is located kilometers from the equator;
6. The coffee trade employs nearly a third of all Papua New Guineans.