Papua New Guinea History

Historical Background
about 500 BC Austronesian speaking people arrived in coastal areas bringing pottery, pigs, and fishing techniques. 1526 European discovery of Papua New Guinea by Portuguese explorer Dom Jorge de Meneses. about 1700 Sweet potatoes from South America were introduced by the Portuguese, which replaced taro, and allowed an increase in the population, especially in the highlands. 1883 Queensland, Australia annexed the southern part of the island of New Guinea (later called Papua). 1884 Germany took control of the northwest part of New Guinea and nearby islands (then called German New Guinea). 1914 World War I Australian troops captured German New Guinea including the nearby associated islands. 1942-1945 World War II Japanese and Allied forces fight over Bougainville, New Britain, and New Guinea. Cargo cult activity by natives used magic and mock airfields and control towers in attempts to attract parachute drops. 1949 The two Australian controlled eastern territories of Papua, and New Guinea were combined in a single trust territory. The western side of the island remained part of Indonesia. 1975 Papua New Guinea was granted independence. 1975 The Bougainville uprising began decades of secessionist strife and civil war. This resulted in the closing of the economically important, but environmentally harmful Panguna copper mine.

2008 LDS Church membership in Papua New Guinea was 16,060.