Papua New Guinea History

The history of Papua New Guinea began with the visit of the Portuguese in early 16th century. Then the Dutch traders came. After World War I the territory of the country was separated between the British and Germans. Papua New Guinea was granted independence in 1975. The economy of the island of Bougainville, which lies just off the coast of the main part of Papua New Guinea, was based on natural resources. The island of Bougainville hosts one of the world’s largest copper mines, which is the source of one-third of Papua’s export income. In May, 1990 Bougainville declared independence – no one recognized it, apart from the Solomon Islands. The deposits of the country include gold, chromite, oil and natural gas. In spite of this fact nowadays Papua New Guinea is still dependent on large amounts of aid from Australia.