| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Oceania |
| Geographical Location |
6° 00' South Latitude
147° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
462,840 sq km |
| Climate |
Tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation |
| Natural Resources |
Gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Independent State of Papua New Guinea |
| Capital City |
Port Moresby |
| Government Type |
Constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy |
| 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 |
| Independence Day |
16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
5,545,268 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Papua New Guinean |
| Ethnic Groups |
Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian |
| Religion |
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% |
| Languages |
Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region |
| Population Growth Rate |
2.26% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Kina (PGK) |
| Industries |
Copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production; construction, tourism |
| Labor Force |
3.32 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 85%, industry NA, services NA |
| Agriculture Products |
Coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry, pork |
| Export Commodities |
Oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns |
| Export Partners |
Australia 27.7%, China 5.8%, Japan 5.7%, Germany 5% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals |
| Import Partners |
Australia 45.2%, Singapore 21.1%, New Zealand 7.5%, Japan 4.2%, China 4.2% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
- |
| Highways |
19,600 km |
| Pipelines |
Oil 264 km (2004) |
| Airports |
571 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+675 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.pg |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
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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