Papua New Guinea
Map of Papua New Guinea (click to enlarge)
Papua New Guinea is an island about sixty five miles north of Australia. It has the largest rainforest area in the Asia-Pacific region. The island has many microclimates and an amazing diversity of plants and animals. There are different bioregions ranging from mangrove forests, lowland rainforest, alpine vegetation, grassland and savanna. There are 90 species of snakes, 170 species of lizards, 13 species of turtles, nearly 200 species of frogs, 445 species of butterflies, 250 known species of mammals including the world largest bat, many tree kangaroos and the world's largest species of crocodile. This region has been devastated by logging companies. But there are still huge areas of rainforest that are untouched by humans. Large areas of land are preserved as conservation areas. There can be no mining, logging, or fishing in theses areas. See some of the amazing flora and fauna of New Guinea.