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I took a bet with my brother. I said Papua New Guinea was a part of Indonesia. He said Papua New Guinea was a part of Australia.

Which is correct?

I think he is. But Can I win the bet anyhow?

Was the country of Papua New Guinea a part of Indonesia ever?

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If the question is "How can I win" regardless, tell him you meant "Indonesia" as the "Indonesian Archipelago". In this case New Guinea is part of the Archipelago of Indonesia (which you abbreviated as Indonesia) and the country of Papua New Guinea sits entirely on that island. On the contrary, the geographic Australia does not comprise the island of New Guinea, and thus does not include the country of Papua New Guinea. – astabada Dec 7 '12 at 9:41

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You probably confused Papua New Guinea with West New Papua, a region that is indeed under Indonesian administration.

Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, was administrated by Australia from 1906 to 1975. It's north part was under control of the German Empire from 1884 to 1914, when it was surrendered to Australia. Papua New Guinea became self governing on December 1, 1973 and independent on September 16, 1975.

If your bet was actually about the island of New Guinea, then it's a tie.

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