Cultural institutions
The Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery in Waigani, a suburb of Port Moresby, has a significant collection of ethnographic artifacts. The government’s National Cultural Commission, the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies, and the National Film Institute record, document, and promote activities associated with traditional cultures, while organizations promoting tourism market aspects of those cultures to potential audiences overseas. In 2008 the Kuk Early Agricultural Site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. That land in the Western Highlands has been worked almost continuously for at least 7,000 years, and the site contains even earlier evidence of the beginning of organized agriculture and its subsequent development.
Sports and recreation
coral reef
coral reefCoral reef off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
Competitive sports in Papua New Guinea were introduced by colonists and missionaries but have taken on a style of their own, with games often inspiring not only team but also village or district loyalty. Wealthy candidates for election often sponsor sporting teams. There are organized amateur leagues for the most popular sports, which include rugby, cricket, football (soccer), softball, basketball, and volleyball. Rugby and football are especially popular league sports among men and, to a lesser extent, women, and netball is popular among girls. Cricket is another top sport, especially in the southern region. Since 2000 traditional canoe and sailing races have been revived as an elite recreation.
The Papua New Guinea Sports Federation and Olympic Committee acts as the national umbrella organization for sports and operates with corporate and government support to aid national teams as they train for and participate in international sporting events. The country first participated in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal but has had greater success in Pacific regional competitions and the Commonwealth Games, in which it has participated since 1962.
The country has designated a variety of national parks and protected areas. Lake Kutubu National Park, in the Southern Highlands, is a refuge for reptiles, birds, and butterflies. The small McAdam National Park, in Morobe province, is home to many diverse animals including birds-of-paradise, cuscus, and echidnas. Varirata National Park, near Port Moresby, provides opportunities for hiking, camping, bird-watching, and picnicking. The island region, with its coral reefs, highly diverse marine life, and numerous sunken wrecks of World War II-era ships and airplanes, is considered to provide some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world.