Papua New Guinea

Airports

total: 504 usable: 462 with permanent-surface runways: 18 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 39

Highways

total: 19,200 km paved: 640 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 10,960 km; unimproved earth 7,600 km

Inland waterways

10,940 km

Merchant marine

11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,337 GRT/25,669 DWT, bulk 2, cargo 3, combination ore/oil 5, container 1

Ports

Anewa Bay, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul

Railroads

none

Telecommunications

services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiobroadcast, radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services; submarine cables extend to Australia and Guam; more than 70,000 telephones (1987); broadcast stations - 31 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV (1987); 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air Force)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $55 million, 1.8% of GDP (1993 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,080,316; fit for military service 601,369

Agriculture

Accounts for 28% of GDP; livelihood for 85% of population; fertile soils and favorable climate permits cultivating a wide variety of crops; cash crops - coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels; other products - tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry, pork; net importer of food for urban centers

Budget

revenues: $1.33 billion expenditures: $1.49 billion, including capital expenditures of $225 million (1993 est.)

Currency

1 kina (K) = 100 toea

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $40.6 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $6.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $17 million

Electricity

capacity: 400,000 kW production: 1.6 billion kWh consumption per capita: 400 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

kina (K) per US$1 - 1.0281 (January 1994), 1.0221 (1993), 1.0367 (1992), 1.0504 (1991), 1.0467 (1990), 1.1685 (1989)

Exports

$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: gold, copper ore, oil, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, lobster partners: Australia, Japan, South Korea, UK, US

External debt

$2.2 billion (April 1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$1.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals partners: Australia, Japan, US, Singapore, New Zealand, UK

Industrial production

growth rate 21% (1992); accounts for 31% of GDP

Industries

copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production, mining of gold, silver, and copper, construction, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.5% (1992-93)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $8.2 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$2,000 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

1.2% (1993 est.)

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 an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mining of numerous deposits, including copper and gold, accounts for about 60% of export earnings. Budgetary support from Australia and development aid under World Bank auspices have helped sustain the economy. Robust growth in 1991-92 was led by the mining sector; the opening of a large new gold mine helped the advance. The economy remained strong in 1993, primarily because of continued growth in the mining and oil sectors.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 461,690 sq km land area: 451,710 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than California

Climate

tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

5,152 km

Environment

current issues: deforestation; pollution from mining projects natural hazards: some active volcanoes; frequent earthquakes international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

total 820 km, Indonesia 820 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 71% other: 28%

Location

Southeastern Asia, just north of Australia, between Indonesia and the Solomon Islands

Map references

Oceania, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil potential

Note

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

Terrain

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Administrative divisions

20 provinces; Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, North Solomons, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain

Capital

Port Moresby

Constitution

16 September 1975

Digraph

PP

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Kepas WATANGIA chancery: 3rd floor, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 745-3680

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Wiwa KOROWI (since NA November 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Paias WINGTI (since 17 July 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Sir Julius CHAN (since July 1992) cabinet: National Executive Council; appointed by the governor on recommendation of the prime minister

FAX

(202) 745-3679

FAX

[675] 213-423

Flag

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

Independence

16 September 1975 (from UN trusteeship under Australian administration)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ACP, APEC, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Names

conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea

National Parliament

(sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly) elections last held 13-26 June 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent by party NA; seats - (109 total) Pangu Party 24, PDM 17, PPP 10, PAP 10, independents 30, others 18 (association with political parties is fluid)

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

Political parties and leaders

Papua New Guinea United Party (Pangu Party), Jack GENIA; People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Paias WINGTI; People's Action Party (PAP), Akoka DOI; People's Progress Party (PPP), Sir Julius CHAN; United Party (UP), Paul TORATO; Papua Party (PP), Galeva KWARARA; National Party (NP), Paul PORA; Melanesian Alliance (MA), Fr. John MOMIS

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard TEARE embassy: Armit Street, Port Moresby mailing address: P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby, or APO AE 96553 telephone: [675] 211-455 or 594, 654

Birth rate

33.5 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

10.38 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Infant mortality rate

63.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

NA

Languages

English spoken by 1-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 715 indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 56.43 years male: 55.6 years female: 57.31 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 52% male: 65% female: 38%

Nationality

noun: Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

4,196,806 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.31% (1994 est.)

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%

Total fertility rate

4.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)