One island in the world is home to what is said to be a “super nut” that can improve heart health.
New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a population of 14.8 million people.
The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the nation of Papua New Guinea. The western half, known as Western New Guinea, forms a part of Indonesia.
Galip nuts are found mostly in New Guinea and have health benefits such as boosting your heart and gut health. Similar to the macadamia nut, they have high nutritional value and contain high oil, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Dr John Moxon, founder of Frangipani Foods, told the Australian Centre for Agricultural Research that the nuts could have major health benefits.
He said: ” Galip nut is packed with vitamins, antioxidants and omega oils, and it contains 7 of the 9 essential amino acids.
” We want to lead the way with others to introduce it to the world as a major export commodity that benefits our rural households and national economy.”
But the country is known for much more than its Galip nuts.
Archaeological evidence indicates that humans may have inhabited the island since 50,000 BCE, with the first settlement possibly dating back to 60,000 years ago.
Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez gave the island’s name during his maritime expedition of 1545 because he thought the indigenous peoples of the island resembled those in the African region of Guinea.
From 1884 to 1919, the Netherlands controlled the western half of New Guinea, Germany the north-eastern part, and Britain the south-eastern part.
The island is presently populated by almost a thousand different tribal groups and a near-equivalent number of separate languages, which makes New Guinea the most linguistically diverse area in the world.
Another major habitat feature is the vast southern and northern lowlands. Stretching for hundreds of kilometres, these include lowland rainforests, extensive wetlands, savanna grasslands, and some of the world’s largest expanses of mangrove forest.
The southern lowlands are the site of Lorentz National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The northern lowlands are drained principally by the Mamberamo River and its tributaries on the western side and by the Sepik on the eastern side.
Diving is popular due to the reefs and abundance of colourful fish to discover. For the more experienced, there are WWII wrecks like the Dutch’s Jacob or the aircraft B-17F Black Jack Flying Fortress.
New Guinea is equatorial and, therefore, warm and humid throughout the year. The best time to visit is from May to September, during the dry season.