Uzbek Flag Flies High on Oceania’s Tallest Volcano For First Time

The national flag of Uzbekistan has been raised for the first time on Mount Giluwe, the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania, standing at 4,368 meters in Papua New Guinea in a significant achievement for Uzbek mountaineering.

The ascent was carried out by the Mysterious Uzbekistan expedition team, who described the journey through the wild terrain of Papua New Guinea - known for its dense jungles, swampy lowlands, and isolated tribal communities - as one of their most challenging feats to date, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

“We passed through untamed jungle and endless swamps to reach the summit of the tallest volcano on a new continent,” the team said. “This climb adds another continent to our journey of raising the Uzbek flag atop the highest volcanoes in the Eastern Hemisphere.”

Papua New Guinea, considered the world’s largest tropical island, is home to over 800 distinct tribes, many of which continue to live with minimal contact with the modern world.

The team - comprised of Sharof Egamberdiev, Eldor Gafurov, Nodir Dadakhonov, and Andrey Tarantin - has been on a mission to scale the tallest volcanoes across multiple continents. In summer 2023, they summited Mount Elbrus (5,642 meters) in Russia, followed by a successful expedition in September 2023 to Mount Damavand (5,610 meters) in Iran, the highest volcano in Asia.