Papua New Guinea

Internet country code

.pg

Internet hosts

1,573 (2006)

Internet users

170,000 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: services are adequate; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: mostly radiotelephone international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service

Telephones - main lines in use

62,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

26,000 (2005)

Television broadcast stations

3 (all in the Port Moresby area) note: additional 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: $1.368 billion expenditures: $1.354 billion; including capital expenditures of $344 million (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

kina (PGK)

Current account balance

$482.1 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$1.882 billion (2005 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

50.9 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

$NA

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 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. The economy has improved over the past three years because of high commodity prices following a prolonged period of instability. The government of Prime Minister SOMARE has expended much of its energy remaining in power and should be the first government in decades to serve a full five-year term. The government has also brought stability to the national budget thus far, largely through expenditure control. 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, the former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges include the HIV/Aids epidemic, law and order, and land tenure issues. Australia annually supplies $240 million in aid, which accounts for nearly 20% of the national budget.

Electricity - consumption

1.481 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

1.592 billion kWh (2003)

Exchange rates

kina per US dollar - 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004), 3.5635 (2003), 3.8952 (2002), 3.3887 (2001)

Exports

$2.833 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Australia 28.7%, Japan 8.6%, China 5.4% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$3.924 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$14.37 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 35.3% industry: 38.1% services: 26.6% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,600 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$1.651 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Australia 54.6%, Singapore 13.4%, Japan 4.3%, Malaysia 4.2% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

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)

1.7% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

19.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Labor force

2.413 million (2004)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 85% industry: NA% services: NA%

Natural gas - consumption

140 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

140 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

345.5 billion cu m (2005)

Oil - consumption

18,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

50,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

170 million bbl (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

37% (2002 est.)

Public debt

42.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$748.8 million (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

2.8% up to 80% in urban areas (2004)

Area

total: 462,840 sq km 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

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

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

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 Robert W. FITTS embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby 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 Don Polye (since 5 July 2006) 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; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by the governor general

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

Independence

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

International organization participation

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

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

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 15-29 June 2002 and April and May 2003; completed in May 2003 (voting in the Southern Highlands was not completed during the June 2002 election period); next to be held not later than June 2007 election results: percent of vote by party - National Alliance 18%, URP 13%, PDM 12%, PPP 8%, Pangu 6%, PAP 5%, PLP 4%, others 34%; seats by party - National Alliance 19, URP 14, PDM 13, PPP 8, PANGU 6, PAP 5, PLP 4, others 40; as of January 2006 - National Alliance 25, URP 10, PNGP 9, PPP 9, PANGU 6, PAP 12, PLP 4, others 34 note: association with political parties is fluid (2005)

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Party [Dr. Banare BUN]; Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP [Sir Moi AVEL]; National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party [Melcher PEP]; Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU [Rabbie NAMALIU]; Papua New Guinea First Party [Cecilking DORUBA]; Papua New Guinea Labor Party [Bob DANAYA]; Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP (was People's Democratic Movement or PDM) [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Moses MALADINA]; People's Labor Party or PLP [Ekis ROPENU]; People's National Congress or PNC [Peter O'NEILL]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Byron CHAN]; Pipol First Party [Luther WENGE]; United Party [Bire KIMASOPA]; United Resources Party or URP [Tim NEVILLE] (2005)

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

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 18-49: 1,264,728 females age 18-49: 1,167,188 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 902,432 females age 18-49: 894,759 (2005 est.)

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (FY02)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Age structure

0-14 years: 37.8% (male 1,090,879/female 1,054,743) 15-64 years: 58.3% (male 1,703,204/female 1,601,224) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 103,054/female 117,440) (2006 est.)

Birth rate

29.36 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Ethnic groups

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

16,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 49.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Languages

Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 65.28 years male: 63.08 years female: 67.58 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 64.6% male: 71.1% female: 57.7% (2002)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005)

Median age

total: 21.2 years male: 21.4 years female: 21.1 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

5,670,544 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

2.21% (2006 est.)

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%

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: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.88 children born/woman (2006 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

Airports

582 (2006)

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 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 561 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 488 (2006)

Heliports

2 (2006)

Merchant marine

total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,532 GRT/72,240 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 6 (UK 6) (2006)

Pipelines

oil 264 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Kimbe, Lae, Rabaul

Roadways

total: 19,600 km paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (1999)

Waterways

10,940 km (2003)