PAPUA NEW GUINEA

123 team members
Adopt-a-country school: Nikao Maori School
Accommodation: Nikao Maori School
Dining: Princess Ann Hall

Capital:    Port Moresby
Land Area:    473, 180 sq km
Languages:   Tok Pison, Hiri Motu, English (plus more than 700)
Currency:    Kina

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest and the most populated country in the Pacific. PNG has a total land size of 473 180 km² and has a large population.
The capital of PNG is Port Moresby. The country is one of the most rural with only 18% of its population living in urban centres.
PNG occupies the eastern half of the rugged tropical island of New Guinea, which it shares with the Indonesian territory of Irian Jaya and other numerous smaller Pacific islands and atolls.
PNG is a nation in which more than 850 languages are spoken. Tok Pisin has become the most common form of communication and is the national language. Hiri Motu and English are also widely spoken. The population is about 5 million.
The indigenous population of PNG is one of the most heterogeneous in the world. PNG has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people.
Divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in low-scale tribal warfare with their neighbours for thousands of years.
PNG is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. Executive power lies with the prime minister.