Papua New Guinea

Internet country code

.pg

Internet hosts

3,432 (2009) country comparison to the world: 140

Internet users

120,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 147

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: services are minimal; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: access to telephone services is not widely available; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 11 per 100 persons international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use

60,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 158

Telephones - mobile cellular

600,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 152

Television broadcast stations

3 (all in the Port Moresby area; stations at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned) (2004)

Agriculture - products

coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; shell fish, poultry, pork

Budget

revenues: $2.62 billion expenditures: $2.797 billion (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate

7% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 55 7.38% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.27% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 86 9.78% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance

$710 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $193.6 million (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$2.511 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 $1.646 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

50.9 (1996) country comparison to the world: 19

Economy - overview

Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 75% of the population. Mineral deposits, including copper, gold, and oil, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. The government of Prime Minister SOMARE has expended much of its energy remaining in power. He was the first prime minister ever to serve a full five-year term. The government also brought stability to the national budget, largely through expenditure control; however, it relaxed spending constraints in 2006 and 2007 as elections approached. Numerous challenges still face the government including regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and balancing relations with Australia, its former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including a worsening HIV/AIDS epidemic, currently the highest rate in all of East Asia and the Pacific, and chronic law and order and land tenure issues. Australia supplied more than $300 million in aid in FY07/08, which accounts for nearly 20% of the national budget. A consortium led by a major American oil company hopes to begin the commercialization of the country's estimated 227 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves through the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility by 2010. The project has the potential to double the GDP of Papua New Guinea.

Electricity - consumption

2.683 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

2.885 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 127

Exchange rates

kina (PGK) per US dollar - 2.6956 (2008 est.), 3.03 (2007), 3.0643 (2006), 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004)

Exports

$5.719 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104 $4.748 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns

Exports - partners

Australia 27.2%, Japan 9.2%, China 5.1% (2008)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$8.092 billion (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$13.17 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138 $12.3 billion (2007 est.) $11.65 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 33.3% industry: 36.3% services: 30.4% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 181 $2,200 (2007 est.) $2,100 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 39 5.6% (2007 est.) 2.3% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996)

Imports

$3.124 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 136 $2.629 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

Australia 42.6%, Singapore 15.6%, China 11%, Japan 5.8%, Malaysia 4.3% (2008)

Industrial production growth rate

5.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 43

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 159 0.9% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

19.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 118

Labor force

3.639 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 85% industry: NA% services: NA% (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA (31 December 2008) $NA (31 December 2007) $6.632 billion (31 December 2006)

Natural gas - consumption

100 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 131

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 144

Natural gas - production

100 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79

Natural gas - proved reserves

226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 43

Oil - consumption

33,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 110

Oil - exports

32,490 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 84

Oil - imports

14,380 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 127

Oil - production

38,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 65

Oil - proved reserves

88 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 70

Population below poverty line

37% (2002 est.)

Public debt

32.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 59.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.987 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 110 $2.087 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$2.065 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 92 $1.486 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$2.005 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 71 $1.685 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$1.726 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 86 $1.482 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

1.9% (2004) country comparison to the world: 17

Area

total: 462,840 sq km country comparison to the world: 54 land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than California

Climate

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

Coastline

5,152 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

Environment - current issues

rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.1 cu km/yr (56%/43%/1%) per capita: 17 cu m/yr (1987)

Geographic coordinates

6 00 S, 147 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

total: 820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km

Land use

arable land: 0.49% permanent crops: 1.4% other: 98.11% (2005)

Location

Oceania, 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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Total renewable water resources

801 cu km (1987)

Administrative divisions

20 provinces; Bougainville (autonomous region), 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

Capital

name: Port Moresby geographic coordinates: 9 30 S, 147 10 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

16 September 1975

Country name

conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea local short form: Papuaniugini former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea abbreviation: PNG

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Teddy B. TAYLOR embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby, N.C.D. mailing address: 4240 Port Moresby PI, US Department of State, Washington DC 20521-4240 telephone: [675] 321-1455 FAX: [675] 321-3423

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Evan Jeremy PAKI chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by governor general Sir Paulius MATANE (since 29 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Sir Michael SOMARE (since 2 August 2002); Deputy Prime Minister Puka TEMU (since 29 August 2007) cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is nominated by parliament and appointed by the chief of state; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by the governor general acting in accordance with a decision of the parliament

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

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Independence

16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)

International organization participation

ACP, ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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)

Legal system

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Parliament (109 seats, 89 filled from open electorates and 20 from provinces and national capital district; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); constitution allows up to 126 seats elections: last held from 30 June to 10 July 2007; next to be held in June 2012 election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - National Alliance 27, PNGP 8, PAP 6, URP 6, PANGU 5, PDM 5, independents 19, others 33; note - election to 1 seat was nullified note: 15 other parties won 4 or fewer seats; association with political parties is fluid

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

Political parties and leaders

National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE]; Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU PATI [Andrew KUMBAKOR]; Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Michael OGIO]; People's Action Party or PAP [Gabriel KAPRIS]; United Resources Party or URP [William DUMA] (2007)

Political pressure groups and leaders

Ahora [Andrew MAMOKO] (represents local tribes); Centre for Environment Law and Community Rights or Celcor [Damien ASE]; Community Coalition Against Corruption

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,481,417 females age 16-49: 1,385,040 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,110,175 females age 16-49: 1,127,758 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 64,636 female: 62,803 (2009 est.)

Military branches

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes Maritime Operations Element, Air Operations Element) (2009)

Military expenditures

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 118

Military service age and obligation

16 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Age structure

0-14 years: 36.9% (male 1,137,796/female 1,099,365) 15-64 years: 59% (male 1,836,272/female 1,735,298) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 114,789/female 133,743) (2009 est.)

Birth rate

27.55 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 58

Death rate

6.86 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 138

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

54,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 63

Infant mortality rate

total: 45.23 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 57 male: 49.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Languages

Tok Pisin, English, and Hiri Motu are official languages; some 860 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total) note: Tok Pisin, a creole language, is widely used and understood; English is spoken by 1%-2%; Hiri Motu is spoken by less than 2%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 66.34 years country comparison to the world: 160 male: 64.08 years female: 68.72 years (2009 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.3% male: 63.4% female: 50.9% (2000 census)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2009)

Median age

total: 21.7 years male: 21.8 years female: 21.6 years (2009 est.)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

NA (2009 est.)

People - note

the indigenous population of Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous in the world; PNG has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people; divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in low-scale tribal conflict with their neighbors for millennia; the advent of modern weapons and modern migrants into urban areas has greatly magnified the impact of this lawlessness

Population

6,057,263 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 106

Population growth rate

2.069% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 54

Religions

Roman Catholic 27%, Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%, Bahai 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.62 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 54

Urbanization

urban population: 12% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Disputes - international

relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists

Illicit drugs

major consumer of cannabis

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 10,177 (Indonesia) (2007)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Papua New Guinea is a country of destination for women and children from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and China trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; internal trafficking of women and children for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude occurs as well tier rating: Tier 3 - Papua New Guinea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the current legal framework does not contain elements of crimes that characterize trafficking; the government lacks victim protection services or a systematic procedure to identify victims of trafficking; the government did not prosecute anyone in 2007 for trafficking; Papua New Guinea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Airports

560 (2009) country comparison to the world: 12

Airports - with paved runways

total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 539 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 467 (2009)

Heliports

2 (2009)

Merchant marine

total: 21 country comparison to the world: 98 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 17, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 6 (UAE 6) (2008)

Pipelines

oil 195 km (2008)

Ports and terminals

Kimbe, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Wewak

Roadways

total: 19,600 km country comparison to the world: 111 paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (2000)

Waterways

11,000 km (2006) country comparison to the world: 12