Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea /ˈpæpuːə njuː ˈɡɪni/, also /ˈpɑːpuːə/ or /ˈpæpjuːə/; Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini) (PNG), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands (the western portion of the island is a part of Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua). It is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, in a region defined since the early 19th century as Melanesia. Its capital, and one of its few major cities, is Port Moresby. It is one of the most diverse countries on Earth, with over 850 indigenous languages and at least as many traditional societies, out of a population of just under 6 million. It is also one of the most rural, with only 18 per cent of its people living in urban centres. The country is also one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically, and many undiscovered species of plants and animals are thought to exist in the interior of Papua New Guinea.
==Religion in Papaua New Guinea==
Papua New Guinea is a Christian majority country. In the 2000 census, 96% of people identified themselves as Christians, although many combine Christianity with aspects of traditional Papuan beliefs. Roman Catholicism is the most popular Christian denomination followed by 27% of the population, 19.5% of the population are Lutherans.
The Baha'i Faith is followed by 0.3% of the population and about 0.3% of the people of Papua New Guinea are Buddhists.
The Papua New Guinea Council of Churches has reported that both Muslim and Confucian missionaries are active in the country.
==References==
*http://www.thedhamma.com/buddhists_in_the_world.htm
*The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained. David N. Snyder, Ph.D., 2006.
*http://www.thedhamma.com/
==External links==
* Wikipedia article about Papua New Guinea.
* Wikivoyage article about Papaua New Guinea.
Category:Buddhism by location
Category:Christian-Majority Countries