Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and
pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 71%; other 28%
Environment: one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast;
some active volcanos; frequent earthquakes
Note: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia
PEOPLE
Population: 3,913,186 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 55 years male, 56 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 4.9 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Papua New Guinean(s); adjective--Papua New
Guinean
Ethnic divisions: predominantly Melanesian and Papuan; some
Negrito, Micronesian, and Polynesian
Religion: Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%,
Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%,
Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant sects
10%; indigenous beliefs 34%
Language: 715 indigenous languages; English spoken by 1-2%, pidgin
English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
Literacy: 52% (male 65%, female 38%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 1,660,000; 732,806 in salaried employment; agriculture
54%, government 25%, industry and commerce 9%, services 8% (1980)
Organized labor: more than 50 trade unions, some with fewer than 20
members
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Port Moresby
Administrative divisions: 20 provinces; Central, Chimbu, Eastern
Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne
Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, North Solomons,
Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain
Independence: 16 September 1975 (from UN trusteeship under
Australian administration)
Constitution: 16 September 1975
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1975)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime
minister, deputy prime minister, National Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (sometimes
referred to as the House of Assembly)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Vincent ERI (since 18 January 1990);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Rabbie NAMALIU (since 4 July
1988); Deputy Prime Minister Ted DIRO (since 29 April 1990);
note--Deputy Prime Minister Ted DIRO has the title only since he has
been suspended pending trial for alleged corruption charges
Political parties:
Papua New Guinea United Party (Pangu Party), Rabbie NAMALIU;
People's Progress Party (PPP), Sir Julius CHAN;
United Party (UP), Paul TORATO;
Papua Party (PP), Galeva KWARARA;
National Party (NP), Paul PORA;
Melanesian Alliance (MA), Fr. John MOMIS
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
National Parliament--last held 13 June-4 July 1987 (next to be held
4 July 1992);
results--PP 14.7%, PDM 10.8%, PPP 6.1%, MA 5.6%, NP 5.1%, PAP 3.2%,
independents 42.9%, other 11.6%;
seats--(109 total) PP 26, PDM 17, NP 12, MA 7, PAP 6, PPP 5, independents
22, other 14
Communists: no significant strength
Member of: ACP, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (observer), SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Margaret TAYLOR; Chancery at
Suite 350, 1330 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036;
telephone (202) 659-0856;
US--Ambassador Robert W. FERRAND; Embassy at Armit Street, Port
Moresby (mailing address is P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby); telephone
675 211-455 or 594, 654
Flag: 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
ECONOMY
Overview: Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural
resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and
the high cost of developing an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a
subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mining of numerous
deposits, including copper and gold, accounts for about 60% of
export earnings. Budgetary support from Australia and development aid
under World Bank auspices help sustain the economy.
GDP: $2.7 billion, per capita $725; real growth rate - 3.0% (1989
est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 5% (1988)
Budget: revenues $867 million; expenditures $873 million,
including capital expenditures of $119 million (1990 est.)
Agriculture: one-third of GDP; livelihood for 85% of population;
fertile soils and favorable climate permits cultivating a wide variety of
crops; cash crops--coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels; other
products--tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry, pork;
net importer of food for urban centers
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $40.6
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $6.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $17 million
Currency: kina (plural--kina); 1 kina (K) = 100 toea
Exchange rates: kina (K) per US$1--1.0549 (January 1991), 1.0467
(1990), 1.1685 (1989), 1.1538 (1988), 1.1012 (1987), 1.0296 (1986),
1.0000 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Highways: 19,200 km total; 640 km paved, 10,960 km gravel, crushed
stone, or stabilized-soil surface, 7,600 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 10,940 km
Ports: Anewa Bay, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul
Airports: 567 total, 479 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
40 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: services are adequate and being improved;
facilities provide radiobroadcast, radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal
radio, aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services;
submarine cables extend to Australia and Guam; 51,700 telephones (1985);
stations--31 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV (1987); 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth
station
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Papua New Guinea Defense Force (including Army, Navy,
Air Force)
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 983,175; 546,824 fit for
military service
Defense expenditures: $42 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989 est.)