| Commemorative Note Marks the 20th Year of Independence from Australia, 1975-95 Governor - Koiari Tarata Secretary - Gerea Aopi |
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| Bird of Paradise - Coat of Arms | ||
| Germany occupied the northern half of the country in 1884 and called it German New Guinea. During World War I, it was occupied by Australia, which had begun administering the southern part as Papua (from 1884, British New Guinea) in 1905. After World War I, Australia was given a mandate to administer the former German New Guinea by the League of Nations. Papua, by contrast, was deemed to be an External Territory of the Australian Commonwealth, though as a matter of law it remained a British possession, an issue which had significance for the country's post-Independence legal system after 1975. This difference in legal status meant that Papua and New Guinea had entirely separate administrations, both controlled by Australia. The two territories were combined into the Territory of Papua and New Guinea after World War II, and later simply referred to as "Papua New Guinea". The country was self-governing from 01/12/1973and on 16/09/1975 obtained full indepencence from Australia. | ||
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