Where do most Papuan-language speakers live within Papua New Guinea?

In Papua New Guinea, speakers of Papuan languages primarily reside in the interior regions of the country. While Austronesian languages are typically found in coastal areas and on offshore islands, the Papuan-speaking population constitutes the great majority of the nation's people and is concentrated inland.1

Significant populations of these speakers are located in the Highlands, including groups such as the Engan, Melpa, and Kuman. Other Papuan-speaking communities are distributed across various provinces, including the Sepik-Ramu basin, the Torricelli Mountains, and mountainous areas near the border with Indonesia.12