Papua New Guinea

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Papua New Guinea

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Gau Hedinarai ai Papua-Matamata Guinea/Independent State of Papua New Guinea Area 462,840 sq km/178,702 sq mi Capital Port Moresby (on East New Guinea) Language English (official), pidgin English, over 700 local languages Religion Christian 97%, of which 3% Roman Catholic; local pantheistic beliefs Time difference GMT +10 Major holidays 1 January, 15 August, 16 September, 25–26 December; variable: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Holy Saturday, Queen's Birthday (June), Remembrance (July)


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Lae, Madang, Arawa, Wewak, Goroka, Rabaul Major ports Port Moresby, Rabaul Physical features mountainous; swamps and plains; monsoon climate; tropical islands of New Ireland, New Britain, and Bougainville; Admiralty Islands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, and Louisiade Archipelago; active volcanoes Vulcan and Tavurvur Airports three international airports and over 400 domestic airports, airstrips, and aerodromes; total passengers carried: 691,000 (2003 est) Railways none Roads total road network: 19,600 km/12,179 mi, of which 3.5% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 24.2 per 1,000 people (1998)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Queen Elizabeth II from 1975, represented by Governor General Paulias Matane from 2004 Head of government Michael Somare from 2002 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 20 provinces including the National Capital District (administered by an Interim Commission) Political parties Papua New Guinea Party (Pangu Pati: PP), urban- and coastal-oriented nationalist; People's Democratic Movement (PDM), 1985 breakaway from the PP; National Party (NP), highlands-based, conservative; Melanesian Alliance (MA), Bougainville-based, pro-autonomy, left of centre; People's Progress Party (PPP), conservative; People's Action Party (PAP), right of centre Death penalty retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes but can be considered abolitionist in practice; date of last known execution 1950 Armed forces 3,100 (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 0.6 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 2.4 (2001 est) Health spend (% GDP) 3 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency kina GDP (US$) 4.7 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3.7 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 3.9 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 2,370 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3.5% (2006 est) Unemployment 2.8% (2004) Labour force 72.6% agriculture, 7% industry, 20.4% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 1.9 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Australia, Japan, USA, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, New Zealand, Philippines, China Resources copper, gold, silver; deposits of chromite, cobalt, nickel, quartz; substantial reserves of petroleum and natural gas (petroleum production began in 1992) Industries food processing, beverages, tobacco, timber products, metal products, machinery and transport equipment, fish canning Exports gold, crude petroleum, copper ore and concentrates, timber, coffee beans, coconut and copra products. Principal market: Australia 41.4% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals, miscellaneous manufactured articles, chemicals, mineral fuels. Principal source: Australia 45.2% (2005) Arable land 0.5% (2006 est) Agricultural products coffee, cocoa, coconuts, pineapples, palm oil, rubber, tea, pyrethrum, peanuts, spices, potatoes, maize, taro, bananas, rice, sago, sweet potatoes; livestock; poultry; fishing; timber production


POPULATION

Population 6,001,200 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.8% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 13 (2005 est) Urban population (% of total) 13 (2006 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 40%, 15–59 56%, 60+ 4% (2005 est) Ethnic groups mainly Melanesian (95%), particularly in coastal areas; inland (on New Guinea and larger islands), Papuans predominate. On the outer archipelagos and islands, mixed Micronese-Melanesians and Polynesian groups are found. A small Chinese minority also exists Life expectancy 57 (men); 58 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 93 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 72% (men); 59% (women) (2003 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.5 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 4 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 1.8 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 3,300 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 88 (urban); 32 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 1.1 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 0.5 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 95 (1998) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 24 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 6.3 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 3 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

c. 3000 BC New settlement of Austronesian (Melanesian) immigrants. AD 1526 Visited by Portuguese navigator Jorge de Menezes, who named the main island the Ilhos dos Papua. 1545 Spanish navigator Ynigo Ortis de Retez gave the island the name of New Guinea, as a result of a supposed resemblance of the peoples with those of the Guinea coast of Africa. 17th century Regularly visited by Dutch merchants. 1828 Dutch East India Company incorporated the western part of New Guinea into Netherlands East Indies (becoming Irian Jaya, in Indonesia). 1884 Northeast New Guinea annexed by Germany; the southeast was claimed by Britain. 1870s Visits by Western missionaries and traders increased. 1890s Copra plantations developed in German New Guinea. 1906 Britain transferred its rights to Australia, which renamed the lands Papua. 1914 German New Guinea occupied by Australia at the outbreak of World War I; from the merged territories Papua New Guinea was formed. 1920–42 Held as League of Nations mandate by Australia. 1942–45 Occupied by Japan, who lost 150,000 troops resisting Allied counterattack. 1947 Held as United Nations Trust Territory by Australia. 1951 Legislative Council established. 1964 Elected House of Assembly formed. 1967 Pangu Party (Pangu Pati; PP) formed to campaign for home rule. 1975 Independence achieved from Australia, within Commonwealth, with Michael Somare (PP) as prime minister. 1985 Somare challenged by deputy prime minister Paias Wingti, who later left the PP and formed the People's Democratic Movement (PDM); he became head of a five-party coalition government. 1988 Joined Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to form the Spearhead Group, aiming to preserve Melanesian cultural traditions. 1989 State of emergency imposed on copper-rich Bougainville in response to separatist violence. 1990 Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) issued unilateral declaration of independence. 1991 Economic boom as gold production doubled. 1994 Short-lived peace agreement with BRA. 1996 Prime minister of Bougainville murdered, jeopardizing peace process. Gerard Sinato elected president of transitional Bougainville government. 1997 Army and police mutinied following government's use of mercenaries against secessionist rebels. Silas Atopare appointed governor general. 1998 Truce with Bougainville secessionists. At least 1,500 people died and thousands left homeless when tidal waves destroyed villages on north coast. 1999 Coalition of parties headed by Mekere Morauta won parliamentary majority to form new government. Bougainville Transitional Government (BTG) replaced by new interim Bougainville Reconciliation Government (BRG), headed by former rebel leader Joseph Kabui and BTG leader Gerard Sinato. 2001 Economic reforms and proposed military cuts sparked demonstrations. Bougainville Peace Agreement signed in Arawa; it guaranteed a referendum on Boungainville's political future would be held within 10–15 years 2002 Sir Michael Somare re-elected as prime minister. 2004 Australian police deployed to help fight widespread crime. 2005 Australian police officers withdrawn after Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled their deployment unconstitutional. People of Bougainville elected first autonomous government, with Joseph Kabui as president. 2007 Parliament passed law allowing casinos and online gambling, hoping to boost ailing economy. Prime Minister Somare elected for second consecutive term.


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