Papua New Guinea largest towns are also located, including Port Moresby (capital) and Lae; other major islands within Papua New Guinea include New Ireland, New Britain, Manus and Bougainville. Papua New Guinea is one of the few regions close to the equator that experience snowfall, which occurs in the most elevated parts of the mainland. The border between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia was confirmed by treaty with Australia before independence in 1974. Maritime boundaries with Australia were confirmed by a treaty in 1978. Papua New Guinea is part of the Australasia ecozone, which also includes Australia, New Zealand, eastern Indonesia, and several
Schouten Islands (Papua New Guinea) tried to return from Tidore to New Spain. The group is named after Willem Schouten, who visited the island group in 1616, before visiting and giving the same name to the Schouten Islands off the northwest coast of New Guinea, in what is now Indonesia. Schouten Islands (Papua New Guinea) The Schouten Islands are a group of six small volcanic islands in the province of East Sepik in Papua New Guinea, north of the island of New Guinea. The group is also called "Eastern Schouten Islands" or "Le Maire Islands" to separate it from unrelated Schouten Islands in Indonesia. The