| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea
abbreviation: PNG |
| Capital: |
Port Moresby |
| 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 |
| Area
Comparative: |
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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy |
| Administratives
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 |
16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day, 16 September (1975) |
| Constitution: |
16 September 1975 |
| Legal
System; |
based on English common law |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| 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 (vacant)
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 |
| 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; note - association with political parties is fluid (2003) |
| 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: |
Christian Democratic Party [Dr. Banare BUN, party leader]; Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP [Sir Moi AVEL, party leader]; National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE, party leader; George MANOA, party president]; National Party [Melchior PEP, party leader]; Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU [Chris HAIVETA, party leader]; Papua New Guinea First Party [Cecilking DORUBA, party leader]; Papua New Guinea Labor Party [Bob DANAYA, party leader]; Papua New Guinea Party (was People's Democratic Movement or PDM) [Sir Mekere MORAUTA, party leader]; People's Action Party or PAP [Moses MALADINA, party leader]; People's Labor Party or PLP [Ekis ROPENU, party leader]; People's National Congress or PNC [Peter O'NEILL, party leader]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Andrew BAING, party leader]; Pipol First Party [Luther WENGE, party leader]; Rural People's Party [Peter NAMUS, party leader]; United Party [Bire KIMASOPA, party leader]; United Resources Party or URP [Tim NEVILLE, party leader] (2004) |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
5,545,268 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,072,910/female 1,037,635)
15-64 years: 58.1% (male 1,662,166/female 1,559,685)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 99,777/female 113,095) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 21.09 years
male: 21.25 years
female: 20.93 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Papua New Guinean(s)
adjective: Papua New Guinean |
| Ethnic groups: |
Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian |
| 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% |
| Languages: |
Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages - many unrelated |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
62,000 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
15,000 (2002) |
| 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 |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
3 (all in the Port Moresby area)
note: additional stations at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned (2004) |
| Internet country
code: |
.pg |
| Internet hosts: |
389 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
75,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 19,600 km
paved: 686 km
unpaved: 18,914 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
10,940 km (2003) |
| Pipelines: |
oil 264 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 47,586 GRT/60,934 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 17, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 8 (Singapore 2, United Kingdom 6) (2005) |
| Airports: |
571 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
|
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 550
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 62
under 914 m: 478 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
2 (2004 est.) |
|
