Papua New Guinea Population: 6,431,902
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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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| Geography | |
| Shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast | |
| 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 |
| Geographic coordinates: | 6 00 S, 147 00 E |
| Area: | total: 462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km Size comparison: slightly larger than California |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km |
| Coastline: | 5,152 km |
| 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 |
| 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 highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m |
| Natural resources: | gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries |
| Land use: | arable land: 0.49% permanent crops: 1.4% other: 98.11% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | NA |
| Natural hazards: | active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis volcanism: severe volcanic activity; Ulawun (elev. 2,334 m), one of Papua New Guinea's potentially most dangerous volcanoes, has been deemed a "Decade Volcano" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Rabaul (elev. 688 m) destroyed the city of Rabaul in 1937 and 1994; Lamington erupted in 1951 killing 3,000 people; Manam's 2004 eruption forced the island's abandonment; other historically active volcanoes include Bam, Bagana, Garbuna, Karkar, Langila, Lolobau, Long Island, Pago, St. Andrew Strait, Victory, and Waiowa |
| Current Environment Issues: | rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought |
| International Environment 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 6,431,902 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 35.5% (male 1,160,586/female 1,120,258) 15-24 years: 19.5% (male 636,602/female 619,885) 25-54 years: 36% (male 1,198,799/female 1,117,510) 55-64 years: 5.2% (male 167,625/female 164,018) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 129,852/female 116,767) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 22 years male: 22.3 years female: 21.8 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.936% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 25.92 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.56 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.14 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 42.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 45.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 38.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 66.46 years male: 64.23 years female: 68.79 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.31 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.9% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 34,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 1,300 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean |
| Ethnic groups: | Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 69.4% (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%), Baha'i 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census) |
| Languages: | Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 836 indigenous languages spoken (about 12% of the world's total); most languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers 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% |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.3% male: 63.4% female: 50.9% (2000 census) |
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| Government | |
| 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 |
| Government type: | constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital: | name: Port Moresby geographic coordinates: 9 27 S, 147 11 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 20 provinces, 1 autonomous region*, and 1 district**; Bougainville*, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Hela, Jiwaka, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital**, New Ireland, Northern, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain, West Sepik |
| Independence: | 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 16 September (1975) |
| Constitution: | 16 September 1975 |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of English common law and customary law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Michael OGIO (since 25 February 2011) head of government: Prime Minister Peter Paire O'NEILL (since 2 August 2011); Deputy Prime Minister Leo DION (since 9 August 2012) cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: the monarchy is hereditary; the governor general 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 appointed prime minister by the governor general acting in accordance with a decision of the parliament; Peter Paire O'NEILL elected prime minister by parliament on 3 August 2012 by a vote of 94 to 12 |
| 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 23 June 2012 to 27 July 2012 (next to be held in June 2017) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - People's National Congress Party 27, Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party 12, PNG Party 8, National Alliance Party 7, United Resources Party 7, People's Party 6, People's Progess Party 6, other parties 22, independents 16 note: 14 other parties won 3 or fewer seats; association with political parties is 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 Party or NA [Patrick PRUAITCHI]; Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP [Beldan NEMAH]; People's National Congress Party or PNC [Peter O'NEILL]; People's Party or PP; People's Progress Party or PPP; Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party or THE [Don Poyle]; United Resources Party or URP [William DUMA] note: as of 13 March 2012, 41 political parties were registered |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Centre for Environment Law and Community Rights or Celcor [Damien ASE]; Community Coalition Against Corruption; National Council of Women; Transparency International PNG |
| International organization participation: | ACP, ADB, AOSIS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (observer), C, CD, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Elias Rahuromo WOHENGU chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Walter E. NORTH 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 |
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| Economy | |
| Papua New Guinea (PNG) is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain, land tenure issues, and the high cost of developing infrastructure. The economy has a small formal sector, focused mainly on the export of those natural resources, and an informal sector, employing the majority of the population. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the people. Mineral deposits, including copper, gold, and oil, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. Natural gas reserves amount to an estimated 227 billion cubic meters. A consortium led by a major American oil company is constructing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility that could begin exporting in 2014. As the largest investment project in the country's history, it has the potential to double GDP in the near-term and triple Papua New Guinea's export revenue. An American-owned firm also opened PNG's first oil refinery in 2004 and is building a second LNG production facility. The government faces the challenge of ensuring transparency and accountability for revenues flowing from this and other large LNG projects. In 2011 and 2012, the National Parliament passed legislation that created an offshore Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) to manage government surpluses from mineral, oil, and natural gas projects. In recent years, the government has opened up markets in telecommunications and air transport, making both more affordable to the people. Numerous challenges still face the government of Peter O'NEILL, including providing physical security for foreign investors, regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and maintaining good relations with Australia, its former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including chronic law and order and land tenure issues. The global financial crisis had little impact because of continued foreign demand for PNG's commodities. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $18.45 billion (2012 est.) $17.14 billion (2011 est.) $15.74 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $15.39 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 7.7% (2012 est.) 8.9% (2011 est.) 7.6% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,700 (2012 est.) $2,600 (2011 est.) $2,400 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 27.9% industry: 38.5% services: 33.6% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 3.986 million (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 85% industry: (2005 est.) services: NA% (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 1.9% (2008 est.) 1.8% (2004) |
| Population below poverty line: | 37% (2002 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 50.9 (1996) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.2% (2012 est.) 8.4% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 20.6% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $4.962 billion expenditures: $4.942 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 23.3% of GDP (2012 est.) 22.9% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; poultry, pork; shellfish |
| Industries: | copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining (gold, silver, and copper); crude oil production, petroleum refining; construction, tourism |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 10% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 3.331 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 128 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 3.098 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 110 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 110 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 155.3 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$4.381 billion (2012 est.) -$48.5 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $7.362 billion (2012 est.) $6.791 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns |
| Exports - partners: | Australia 31.5%, Japan 7%, China 6.2% (2011) |
| Imports: | $5.269 billion (2012 est.) $4.07 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals |
| Imports - partners: | Australia 36.9%, Singapore 14.1%, Malaysia 9.1%, China 7%, Japan 5%, Indonesia 4.7%, US 4.7% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $5.207 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $4.323 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $4.86 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $5.144 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $NA |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $NA |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $8.999 billion (31 December 2011) $9.742 billion (31 December 2010) $12.21 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Exchange rates: | kina (PGK) per US dollar - 2.078 (2012 est.) 2.371 (2011 est.) 2.7193 (2010 est.) 2.7551 (2009) 2.6956 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 130,000 (2011) country comparison to the world: 141 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 2.4 million (2011) |
| 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 although combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to roughly 40 per 100 persons international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service (2009) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .pg |
| Internet hosts: | 5,006 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 125,000 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 562 (2012) country comparison to the world: 12 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 542 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 55 under 914 m: 476 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 2 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | oil 195 km (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 9,349 km paved: 3,000 km unpaved: 6,349 km (2011) |
| Waterways: | 11,000 km (2011) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 31 by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 22, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Germany 1, Malaysia 1, UAE 6) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Kimbe, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Wewak |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes Maritime Operations Element, Air Operations Element) (2013) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 16 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; graduation from grade 12 required (2013) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,568,210 females age 16-49: 1,478,965 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,130,951 females age 16-49: 1,137,753 (2010 est.) |
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