Papau New Guinea

I looked at a few different sites just to get some general information but the two main websites I focused on the most were www.pngtourism.org.pg/ and www.dfat.gov.au/geo/png/png_brief.html .

Both sites included general information about the island; size of the island, population, number of languages spoken, number of large cities and economy. However, both sites varied greatly.

The tourism site had a number of pictures that made Papau New Guinea (PNG) look like a traveler's dream. Everything from hiking to scuba diving and snorkeling to relaxing on a beautiful beach was available and from the looks of it there are tourist opportunities all over the island. In regards to culture, the travel website spoke briefly about the numerous tribes. It stated that there are more than 1000 different cultures and that most of the inhabitants have remained in small villages despite some modernization. I was surprised the travel site made note of the gender roles and responsibilities. Even more surprising to me was the lack information surrounding the different cultures. Since they had spoken about the gender roles and wealth, I thought they would perhaps provide more information about the largest tribe. Instead the site went on to describe the cultural shows, informing tourists of the when and where the shows happen.

The Australian government site was much different. There are no pictures and is clearly a reference site. It noted three "official" languages of PNG; English, Tok Pisin (Pidgin), and Motu and that the majority of the population is still reliant on the farming. I also found that government run radio was the best method of communication for two reasons: 1) only 32 to 43% of the population is literate and 2) the highlands of PNG are very mountainous and some times only accessible by plane. The website then goes on to detail the nation's history, political and Australian relations. Of particular interest to me were the elections; I would have liked more details about how the actual elections take place.

Both websites led me to different ideas of PNG as a nation. The travel site definitely made me feel as if PNG was an up and coming vacation destination. The government side me made look at PNG as an emerging country. Because of information listed (or not listed) on the government site I can see the following questions/issues as barriers to nation building.

1. Lack common language and a literate majority. (With 825 languages, how did they narrow it down to three?)
2. If the main source for distributing information is controlled by the government, how are ideas (or political groups) allowed to grow and gain support?
3. Lack of representative government. (I'm unsure how people vote if some areas are not easily accessible and most citizens are illiterate).
4. Lack of formal education.