II.

Land and Resources

New Guinea is long and narrow, stretching in a northwest to southeast direction across the ocean. From east to west the island spans about 2,200 km (about 1,400 mi), and from north to south it spans about 1,100 km (about 700 mi) at its widest point. A series of mountain ranges, among them the Maoke Mountains in Papua and the Central Range in Papua New Guinea, extend from northwest to southeast. The mountains include peaks that rise to more than 4,800 m (15,700 ft). At 5,030 m (16,503 ft), Puncak Jaya, in Papua’s Maoke Mountains, is New Guinea’s highest peak. Numerous river valleys lie between the mountains. Dense rain forests that contain ebony, sandalwood, cedar, and camphor trees cover much of the interior; pine forests are found at higher elevations. The plains in the interior are fertile, but transportation difficulties caused by the mountainous terrain have slowed their development. Many of the coastal areas are low-lying and swampy.

Deposits in New Guinea’s interior contain minerals such as gold, silver, platinum, and especially copper. A mine near Tembagapura, a small town just south of Puncak Jaya, contains some of the world’s largest known concentrations of gold and copper. Another major copper deposit is found at Ok Tedi, located in Papua New Guinea at the headwaters of the Fly River. There are thought to be many more potential copper, gold, and silver deposits in the area. Papua also has important petroleum and natural gas reserves, which have been exploited in the area of the Doberai Peninsula at the island’s far northwestern tip. Papua New Guinea also has large reserves of both petroleum and natural gas. Production of Papua New Guinea’s oil and gas began on the mainland in the area of the Fly and Kikori rivers in 1992.

New Guinea lies just south of the equator and generally has a hot, humid climate, although temperatures and humidity are lower in mountainous areas. The mountains also affect precipitation in many places. Some areas, for example, lie in the rain shadow of mountains and receive relatively little precipitation, while snow is not uncommon on mountaintops. The annual precipitation ranges widely from 760 to 5,840 mm (30 to 230 in).

Animal life is similar to that of Australia. There are several varieties of mammals. New Guinea’s marsupials, for example, include tree kangaroos, phalangers, and wallabies, while monotremes (egg-laying mammals) include spiny anteaters. There are also numerous reptiles, including snakes, New Guinea crocodiles, and lizards; and more than 600 species of birds, including many varieties of colorful birds of paradise. Insects are abundant and include Anopheles mosquitoes, which carry malaria, and huge butterflies with 30-cm (12-in) wingspans.