Statistical information Papua New Guinea 1999

Papua New Guinea in the World
top of pageBackground: The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902 which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
top of pageLocation: Southeastern Asia, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 147 00 E
Map reference:
OceaniaAreaTotal: 462,840 km²
Land: 452,860 km²
Water: 9,980 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundariesTotal: 820 km
Border countries: (1) Indonesia 820 kmCoastline: 5,152 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October; slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m
Natural resources: gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries
Land useArable land: 0.1%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 92.9%
Other: 6% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides
GeographyNote: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast
top of pagePopulation: 4,705,126 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 2.26% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%
NationalityNoun: Papua New Guinean(s)
Adjective: Papua New Guinean
Ethnic groups: Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian
Languages: English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
Note: 715 indigenous languages
Religions: Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant sects 10%, indigenous beliefs 34%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 39% (male 951,532; female 902,841)
15-64 years: 58% (male 1,411,053; female 1,298,937)
65 years and over: 3% (male 64,101; female 76,662) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 2.26% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 32.04 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 9.47 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought
International agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 55.58 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 58.47 years
Male: 57.58 years
Female: 59.4 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.17 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 72.2%
Male: 81%
Female: 62.7% (1995 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
Abbreviation: PNG
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Port Moresby
Administrative divisions: 20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain
Dependent areasIndependence: 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1975)
Constitution: 16 September 1975
Legal system: based on English common law
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Silas ATOPARE (since 13 November 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Bill SKATE (since 22 July 1997); Deputy Prime Minister Iairo LASARO (since 20 October 1998)
Cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the National Executive Council; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general for up to five years on the basis of majority support in National Parliament
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament_sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly (109 seats_89 elected from open electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 14-28 June 1997 (next to be held NA June 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party_PPP 15%, Pangu Pati 14%, NA 14%, PDM 8%, PNC 6%, PAP 5%, UP 3%, NP 1%, PUP 1%, independents 33%; seats by party_PPP 16, Pangu Pati 15, NA 15, PDM 9, PNC 7, PAP 5, UP 3, NP 1, PUP 1, independents 37; note_association with political parties is very fluid
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice, other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACP, APEC, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Nagora Y. BOGAN
In the us chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 745-3,680
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 745-3,679
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Arma Jane KARAER
From the us embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby
From the us telephone: [675] 321-1455
From the us FAX: [675] 321-3,423
Flag description
: divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five white five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for the bulk of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for 72% of export earnings. Budgetary support from Australia and development aid under World Bank auspices have helped sustain the economy. In 1995, Port Moresby reached agreement with the IMF and World Bank on a structural adjustment program, of which the first phase was successfully completed in 1996. In 1997, droughts caused by the El Nino weather pattern wreaked havoc on Papua New Guinea's coffee, cocoa, and coconut production, the mainstays of the agricultural-based economy and major sources of export earnings. The coffee crop was slashed by up to 50% in 1997. Despite problems with drought, the year 1998 saw a small recovery in GDP.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 1.6% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $2,400 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 28.2%
Industry: 34.5%
Services: 37.3% (1997 est.)
Agriculture products: coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables; poultry, pork
Industries: copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production; construction, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Labor force: 1.941 million
By occupation: agriculture 64% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: NA%
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $1.5 billion
Expenditures: $1.35 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodities: gold, copper ore, oil, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish and prawns
Partners: Australia, Japan, Germany, UK, South Korea, China
Imports: $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals
Partners: Australia, Singapore, Japan, US, New Zealand, Malaysia
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $3.2 billion (1995)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: kina (K) per US$1_0.47 (December 1998), 0.6975 (1997), 0.7588 (1996), 0.7835 (1995), 0.9950 (1994; note_the government floated the kina on 10 October 1994
top of pageElectricityProduction: 1.7 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 70.59%
Production by source hydro: 29.41%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 1.7 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 63,212 (1986 est.)
Telephone system: services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services
Domestic: mostly radiotelephone
International: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $63 million (1997; note_includes $12 million to cover leftover 1996 expenditures
Percent of gdp: NA
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 495 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 19
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 476
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 59
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 404 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1997 est.)
PipelinesRailways: 0 km
RoadwaysWaterways: 10,940 km
Merchant marineTotal: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,400 GRT/50,869 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4, chemical tanker 1, combination ore/oil 5, container 1, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off 2 (1997 est.)
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs