Papua

American  

[pap-yoo-uh, pah-poo-ah] / ˈpæp yu ə, ˈpɑ puˌɑ /

noun

1. Papua New Guinea.

2. Gulf of, an inlet of the Coral Sea on the SE coast of New Guinea.

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Papua British  

/ ˈpæpjʊə /

noun

1. Former name: British New Guinea.  a former territory of Australia, consisting of SE New Guinea and adjacent islands: now part of Papua New Guinea

2. Former names (until 1962): Dutch New Guinea.   Netherlands New Guinea.  Former Indonesian names: Irian Barat.   Irian Jaya.  Former English name: West Irian.  the W part of the island of New Guinea: formerly under Dutch rule, becoming a province of Indonesia in 1963. Capital: Jayapura. Pop: 2 220 934 (2000). Area: 416 990 sq km (161 000 sq miles)

3. an inlet of the Coral Sea in the SE coast of New Guinea

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Example Sentences

Treble-winning Hull KR boss Willie Peters will leave the reigning Super League champions at the end of the season to become the first head coach of new National Rugby League side Papua New Guinea Chiefs.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

West Papua reveals two species that we thought were extinct.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

The deal is seen as a strategic entry into Papua New Guinea’s energy sector through high-value, long-term infrastructure projects, it adds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

The only other countries to have their diplomatic missions in Jerusalem are the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay.

From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026

“I am going over to give some things to a friend of mine, the priest who came back from Papua New Guinea. He returns next week.”

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie