New Guinea
New Guinea (Tok Pisin: Niugini; Hiri Motu: Niu Gini; Indonesian: Papua, fossilized Nugini, or historically Irian) is the world's second-largest island, with an area of 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi). Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the 150-kilometre (81-nautical-mile; 93-mile) wide Torres Strait, though both landmasses lie on the same continental shelf, and were united during episodes of low sea level in the Pleistocene glaciations as the combined landmass of Sahul. Numerous smaller islands are located to the west and east. The island's name was given by Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez during his maritime expedition of 1545 due to the resemblance of the indigenous peoples of the island to those in the African region of Guinea.
Native name: Papua, Niugini, Niu Gini | |
|---|---|
New Guinea Island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Melanesia |
| Coordinates | 5°30′S 141°00′E |
| Archipelago | Melanesia and Malay Archipelago |
| Area | 785,753 km2 (303,381 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 2nd |
| Highest elevation | 4,884 m (16024 ft) |
| Highest point | Puncak Jaya |
| Administration | |
| Provinces | Papua Central Papua Highland Papua South Papua Southwest Papua West Papua |
| Largest settlement | Jayapura (pop. 407,000) |
| Provinces | |
| Largest settlement | Port Moresby (pop. 402,000) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 14,800,000 (2020) |
| Pop. density | 18/km2 (47/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Papuan and others (Austronesians and Melanesians) |
The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the independent nation of Papua New Guinea. The western half, known as Western New Guinea, forms a part of Indonesia and is organized as the provinces of Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, Southwest Papua, and West Papua. The two major cities on the island are Port Moresby and Jayapura.