Irian Jaya, or West Irian, comprises the western half of the island and is part of the nation of Indonesia. Papua New Guinea, the eastern half of the island, gained independence from Australia in 1975. New Guinea is a rugged land. High mountains form a central division between north and south. Rapid rivers rush from these highlands, cutting deep valleys and gorges, then slow their swift descent to create the vast swamps of the hot, humid lowlands.
Dense rainforest covers much of the island.
These natural barriers to migration have created the most culturally diverse nation in the world. More than 700 distinct ethnic groups live in Papua. Each group has its own language, social system, customs, rituals, and distinctive style of dress. They arrived from every direction in lorries, cars, buses, airplanes and on foot. They came not only from the great island of New Guinea, but from New Britain, the Trobriand Islands, the Solomans, and numerous smaller islands which form the nation of Papua New Guinea.