| Geography: |
Of the total area, 85% forms the eastern part of the island of New Guinea, the
balance being made up of approximately 600 smaller islands. On the New Guinea
mainland, the fly river forms a vast swampy delta in the southwest, rising to
the central east-west mountains that reach 4509m (41,793ft) at Mt Wilhelm. Principal
rivers include the Fly, Sepik and Ramu that drain south, north and east respectively.
The larger islands are mostly of volcanic origin, with rugged relief, surrounded
bu coral formations.
Nearly
70% of PNG is covered by dense tropical rainforest, soils are heavily leached,
being fertile mainly in lowland areas and in the peripheral islands. |
