Introducing Papua New Guinea

Topic: A diverse and connected world
Student activity

Students locate Australia and Papua New Guinea and explore aspects of distance, historical links and current relationships.

This is the student activity 1 of 5 of the Australia's global connections - Papua New Guinea learning activity.

Task No. 1

Introducing Papua New Guinea

Australian girl in Papua New Guinea
Photo: Kelvin Bramley

  1. Locate Australia and its position in the Asia Pacific region. Measure the distances from the closest section of Australia's coast to New Zealand, to Indonesia and to Papua New Guinea. Geographically what is Australia's closest neighbour?

     

  2. As a class, list the connections students in the class have with Papua New Guinea. Students respond from personal experiences considering holidays, work, friends or family, sporting personalities, television and stories.

     

  3. View Source 1, a photo of an Australian girl who lives and attends school in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. What traditional clothing is she wearing? Why?

     

  4. Develop inquiry questions for investigation:
  • What are the historical links between Australia and Papua New Guinea?
  • What are the current links between the two countries?
  • What will the relationship be like in the future?

About the Source 
Australian girl in traditional dress in Morobe Province, 2015
Photo: Kelvin Bramey - used with permission