Map of Papua New Guinea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: 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.


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Location: 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: Oceania

Area
Total: 462,840 km²
Land: 452,860 km²
Water: 9,980 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 820 km
Border countries: (1) Indonesia 820 km

Coastline: 5,152 km

Maritime claims
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

Elevation
Extremes 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 use
Arable land: 0.1%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 92.9%
Other: 6% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: active volcanism; situated along the Pacific 'Rim of Fire'; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis

Geography
Note: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast


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Population: 5,049,055 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 2.43% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 37%

Nationality
Noun: Papua New Guinean
Adjective: Papua New Guinean

Ethnic groups: Melanesian Papuan Negrito Micronesian Polynesian

Languages
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 10% indigenous beliefs 34%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.7% (male 993,248; female 960,647)
15-64 years: 57.63% (male 1,507,064; female 1,402,666)
65 years and over: 3.67% (male 87,779; female 97,651) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.43% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 32.15 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 7.88 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current 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, Desertification, 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 pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 58.21 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.46 years
Male: 61.39 years
Female: 65.64 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.3 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.22% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 5,400 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 450 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: 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 education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
Former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea
Abbreviation: PNG

Government type: constitutional monarchy with 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 areas

Independence: 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 participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Silas ATOPARE (since 13 November 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA (since NA August 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Michael OGIO (since 3 November 2000)
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
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 leaders: National Alliance or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party or NP [Michael MEL]; Papua New Guinea United Party or Pangu Pati [Chris HAIVETA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Ted DIRO]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Simon KAUMI]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Michael NALI]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Alfred KAIABE]; United Party or UP [Rimbiuk PATO]

International organization participation: ACP APEC ARF (dialogue partner) AsDB ASEAN (observer) C CP ESCAP FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OPCW Sparteca SPC SPF UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Susan JACOBS
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 symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy 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 85% of the population. Mineral deposits including oil copper and gold account for 72% of export earnings. The 3.4% average annual growth rate of GDP during 1979-1998 conceals considerable year-to-year variation resulting from external economic shocks natural disasters and economic management problems. There has been little growth in the last half of the 1990s with real GDP in 1999 barely 3% higher than in 1994 not enough to compensate for population growth. A new administration under the leadership of Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA in July 1999 has promised to restore integrity to state institutions to stabilize the kina to restore stability to the national budget to privatize public enterprises where appropriate and to ensure ongoing peace on Bougainville. The government has had considerable success in attracting international support specifically gaining the support of the IMF and the World Bank in securing development assistance loans. Significant challenges remain for MORAUTA however including gaining further investor confidence specifically for the proposed Papua New Guinea-Australia oil pipeline continuing efforts to privatize government assets and in maintaining the support from members of Parliament who after 15 July 2001 can dismiss him with a vote of no-confidence.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.9% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 30%
Industry: 35%
Services: 35% (1999 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: 85%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 37%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.7%
Highest 10: 40.5% (1996)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.6 billion
Expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 17% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: oil gold copper ore logs palm oil coffee cocoa crayfish prawns
Partners: Australia 30% Japan 12% Germany 7% South Korea 4% Philippines 3% UK 3% (1999)

Imports: $1 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods food fuels chemicals
Partners: Australia 53% Singapore 13% Japan 6% US 4% New Zealand 4% Malaysia 4% (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.9 billion (2000 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: kina per US dollar - 2.81 (October 2000) 2.696 (2000) 2.539 (1999) 2.058 (1998) 1.434 (1997) 1.318 (1996)


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Electricity
Production: 1.82 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 54.95%
Production by source hydro: 45.05%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 1.693 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 47,000 (1996)
Mobile cellular: 3,053 (1996)

Telephone system
General assessment: 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 media

Internet
Country code: .pg
Service providers isps: 3 (2000)
Users: 2000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $42 million (FY98)
Percent of gdp: 1% (FY98)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 492 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 20
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 472
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 57
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 402 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 2 (2000 est.)

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: 10,940 km

Merchant marine
Total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,361 GRT/51,096 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs