View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1995 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Broadcast media (Radio) [time series]

broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 2, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

more than 70,000 telephones (1987); services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiobroadcast, radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services local: NA intercity: mostly radio telephone international: submarine cables extend to Australia and Guam; 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station; international radio communication service

Broadcast media (Television) [time series]

broadcast stations: 2 (1987) televisions: NA

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $55 million, 1.8% of GDP (1993 est.) PARACEL ISLANDS

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 1,111,661; males fit for military service 618,696 (1995 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

Accounts for 25% 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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $1.33 billion expenditures: $1.36 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 kina (K) = 100 toea

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $40.6 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $6.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $17 million

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 490,000 kW production: 1.8 billion kWh consumption per capita: 390 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates [time series]

kina (K) per US$1 - 0.8565 (December 1994), 0.9950 (1994), 1.0221 (1993), 1.0367 (1992), 1.0504 (1991), 1.0467 (1990); note - the government floated the kina on 10 October 1994

Exports [time series]

$2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: gold, copper ore, oil, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, lobster partners: Australia, Japan, US, Singapore, New Zealand

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$3.2 billion (1992)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Imports [time series]

$1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals partners: Australia, Japan, UK, New Zealand, Netherlands

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

accounts for 32% of GDP

Industries [time series]

copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production, mining of gold, silver, and copper, construction, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.6% (1994)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power parity - $9.2 billion (1994 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$2,200 (1994 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

6.1% (1994 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 have helped sustain the economy. Robust growth in 1991-92 was led by the mining sector; the opening of a large new gold mine helped the advance. At the start of 1995, Port Moresby is looking primarily to the exploitation of mineral and petroleum resources to drive economic development but new prospecting in Papua New Guinea has slumped as other mineral-rich countries have stepped up their competition for international investment. Output from current projects will probably begin to taper off in 1996, but no new large ventures are being developed to succeed them.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 461,690 sq km land area: 451,710 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than California

Climate [time series]

tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

Coastline [time series]

5,152 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

current issues: rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects natural hazards: active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mudslides international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

NA sq km

Land boundaries [time series]

total 820 km, Indonesia 820 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 71% other: 28%

Location [time series]

Southeastern Asia, 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 [time series]

Oceania

Maritime claims [time series]

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil potential

Note [time series]

shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast

Terrain [time series]

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Port Moresby

Constitution [time series]

16 September 1975

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Kepas Isimel WATANGIA chancery: 3rd floor, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Wiwa KOROWI (since NA November 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Sir Julius CHAN (since 30 August 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Chris HAIVETA (since 7 September 1994) cabinet: National Executive Council; appointed by the governor on recommendation of the prime minister

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[1] (202) 745-3679

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[675] 213423

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

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

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACP, APEC, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, NAM (observer), SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea

Legislative branch (National Parliament) [time series]

(sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly) elections last held 13-26 June 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (109 total) Pangu Party 24, PDM 17, PPP 10, PAP 10, independents 30, others 18; note - association with political parties is fluid

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Papua New Guinea United Party (Pangu Party), Jack GENIA; People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Paias WINGTI; People's Action Party (PAP), Akoka DOI; 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 [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. TEARE embassy: Armit Street, Port Moresby mailing address: P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby, or APO AE 96553 telephone: [675] 211455, 211594, 211654

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 41% (female 847,208; male 892,718) 15-64 years: 57% (female 1,161,961; male 1,268,266) 65 years and over: 2% (female 66,759; male 57,838) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

33.2 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate [time series]

10.18 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Infant mortality rate [time series]

61.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force [time series]

Languages [time series]

English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 715 indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 56.85 years male: 56.01 years female: 57.74 years (1995 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 52% male: 65% female: 38%

Nationality [time series]

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

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population [time series]

4,294,750 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.3% (1995 est.)

Religions [time series]

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%

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.55 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 505 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5 with paved runways under 914 m: 411 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 12 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 63

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 19,200 km paved: 640 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 10,960 km; unimproved earth 7,600 km

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

10,940 km

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,565 GRT/27,071 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 3, combination ore/oil 5, container 1, roll-on/roll-off 1

Ports [time series]

Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

0 km