World History
History of Papua New Guinea. This is a good summary overview of the history of the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea. It is probably just me but I think they have a neat flag.
From the site:
Archeological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an Ice Age period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. Although the first arrivals were hunters and gatherers, early evidence shows that people managed the forest environment to provide food. There also are indications of gardening having been practiced at the same time that agriculture was developing in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Early garden crops--many of which are indigenous--included sugarcane, Pacific bananas, yams, and taros, while sago and pandanus were two commonly exploited native forest crops. Today's staples--sweet potatoes and pigs--are later arrivals, but shellfish and fish have long been mainstays of coastal dwellers' diets.
When Europeans first arrived, inhabitants of New Guinea and nearby islands--while still relying on bone, wood, and stone tools--had a productive agricultural system. They traded along the coast, where products mainly were pottery, shell ornaments, and foodstuffs, and in the interior, where forest products were exchanged for shells and other sea products.
The first Europeans to sight New Guinea were probably the Portuguese and Spanish navigators sailing in the South Pacific in the early part of the 16th century. In 1526-27, Don Jorge de Meneses accidentally came upon the principal island and is credited with naming it "Papua," a Malay word for the frizzled quality of Melanesian hair. The term "New Guinea" was applied to the island in 1545 by a Spaniard, Ynigo Ortis de Retez, because of a fancied resemblance between the islands' inhabitants and those found on the African Guinea coast. Although European navigators visited the islands and explored their coastlines for the next 170 years, little was known of the inhabitants until the late 19th century.
- What Is Oceania?
Oceania is a term often used to describe a large part of the world in the Pacific. I use Oceania as a label at this blog for some posts. However, I have been reading conflicting definitions of what this word actually means. History of Nations - Oceania...
- The Settlement Of Polynesia
This is a two part essay on human migration in Polynesia. It includes The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 1 and The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 2. It was written by Dennis Kawaharada. Some of the islands of Oceania were among the last habitable land areas...
- History Of Sao Tome And Principe
History of Sao Tome and Principe. This is a short essay on the history of the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe. Wikipedia notes, "The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is a small island nation in the Gulf of Guinea. It consists...
- The Discovery Of New Guinea
The Discovery of New Guinea - Illustrations, facsimile maps and text taken from George Collingridge's book, The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea. Please note that the book itself is not here. This is merely a collection of some of the...
- History Of Zimbabwe
History of Zimbabwe. This is a brief overview to the history of the African nation of Zimbabwe. From the site: Archaeologists have found Stone-Age implements and pebble tools in several areas of Zimbabwe, a suggestion of human habitation for many centuries,...
World History
History of Papua New Guinea
History of Papua New Guinea. This is a good summary overview of the history of the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea. It is probably just me but I think they have a neat flag.
From the site:
Archeological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an Ice Age period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. Although the first arrivals were hunters and gatherers, early evidence shows that people managed the forest environment to provide food. There also are indications of gardening having been practiced at the same time that agriculture was developing in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Early garden crops--many of which are indigenous--included sugarcane, Pacific bananas, yams, and taros, while sago and pandanus were two commonly exploited native forest crops. Today's staples--sweet potatoes and pigs--are later arrivals, but shellfish and fish have long been mainstays of coastal dwellers' diets.
When Europeans first arrived, inhabitants of New Guinea and nearby islands--while still relying on bone, wood, and stone tools--had a productive agricultural system. They traded along the coast, where products mainly were pottery, shell ornaments, and foodstuffs, and in the interior, where forest products were exchanged for shells and other sea products.
The first Europeans to sight New Guinea were probably the Portuguese and Spanish navigators sailing in the South Pacific in the early part of the 16th century. In 1526-27, Don Jorge de Meneses accidentally came upon the principal island and is credited with naming it "Papua," a Malay word for the frizzled quality of Melanesian hair. The term "New Guinea" was applied to the island in 1545 by a Spaniard, Ynigo Ortis de Retez, because of a fancied resemblance between the islands' inhabitants and those found on the African Guinea coast. Although European navigators visited the islands and explored their coastlines for the next 170 years, little was known of the inhabitants until the late 19th century.
- What Is Oceania?
Oceania is a term often used to describe a large part of the world in the Pacific. I use Oceania as a label at this blog for some posts. However, I have been reading conflicting definitions of what this word actually means. History of Nations - Oceania...
- The Settlement Of Polynesia
This is a two part essay on human migration in Polynesia. It includes The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 1 and The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 2. It was written by Dennis Kawaharada. Some of the islands of Oceania were among the last habitable land areas...
- History Of Sao Tome And Principe
History of Sao Tome and Principe. This is a short essay on the history of the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe. Wikipedia notes, "The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is a small island nation in the Gulf of Guinea. It consists...
- The Discovery Of New Guinea
The Discovery of New Guinea - Illustrations, facsimile maps and text taken from George Collingridge's book, The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea. Please note that the book itself is not here. This is merely a collection of some of the...
- History Of Zimbabwe
History of Zimbabwe. This is a brief overview to the history of the African nation of Zimbabwe. From the site: Archaeologists have found Stone-Age implements and pebble tools in several areas of Zimbabwe, a suggestion of human habitation for many centuries,...