New Guinea is the second largest island, located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Australia. It is a tropical rain forest with jungles, swamps and mountains. The temperature and humidity drop as you move toward the center, up in the mountains. The highest point is in the west at 16,503 feet (5,030 meters), Puncak Jaya. The annual rain fall is more than 200 inches. This is one of the least developed areas.
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The Korowai people, who speak many different languages, have developed many inventive things to help them survive in the jungle with no technology. They use bows and three foot arrows with no metal tips, just serrated edges. The people enjoy eating grubs, a type of insect. Often they have beetle grub ceremonies where everyone gathers insects to celebrate some occassion. They also farm and grow crops such as sweet potatoes, beans, sugar cane and sago. Sago is their main source of food. They beat it to a pulp, moisten and strain it to create dough. They also use sago to build materials for houses. They live in villages, building their houses called "khaim" high in the trees to protect them from warring tribes, malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and evil spirits.
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