Papua New Guinea

WHAT THE FLAG MEANS ◢

Divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly: an upper red triangle with a golden bird-of-paradise in flight, and a lower black triangle with the five white stars of the Southern Cross. The red and black are traditional Papua New Guinean colours, the raggiana bird-of-paradise is the national bird, and the Southern Cross marks the country's place in the southern sky. The design was chosen in 1971 from a schoolgirl's entry to a national competition.

Papua New Guinea FACTS ◢

DID YOU KNOW? ◢

• More than 800 languages are spoken here, roughly an eighth of all the languages on Earth.
• It's home to most of the world's species of birds-of-paradise, famous for their dazzling courtship displays.
• Much of its rugged interior remained unknown to the outside world until well into the 20th century.
• It shares the island of New Guinea with Indonesia, split almost down the middle.
• Its highlands grow prized coffee, a major export from the mountainous interior.

Papua New Guinea QUICK ANSWERS ◢

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