Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous nations in the world.There are hundreds of ethnic groups indigenous to Papua New Guinea, the majority being from the group known as Papuans, whose ancestors arrived in the New Guinea region tens of thousands of years ago. The other indigenous peoples are Austronesians, their ancestors having arrived in the region less than four thousand years ago.
Port Moresby, the capital of PNG lies on Fairfax Harbour and is home to the country’s Parliament and National Museum and Art Gallery. The Museum has historical records dating back about 50,000 years and has exhibits of all kinds of arts and crafts from all over the country. Lae is Papua New Guinea’s second most important city and attracts many visitors to its excellent botanical gardens.
Education in Papua New Guinea is not compulsory, and in the mid-1980s only one-third of the population was literate. The present government aims at upgrading and improving the system and quality of education.