International Security Bulletin

Papua New Guinea

Independent State of Papua New Guinea

Capital: Port Moresby

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.

Geography

Metric Units

Total Area 462,840 sq km
Land Boundaries 820 km
Border Countries Indonesia 820 km
Coastline 5,152 km
Terrain mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills
Minimum Elevation 0 m
Maximum Elevation 4,509 m
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
Arable Land 0.65%
Permanent Crops 1.51%

Economy

Gross Domestic Product $18.45 billion
GDP (per capita) $2,700
GDP Growth 7.7%
Unemployment Rate 1.9%
Population in Poverty 37%
GINI Index 50.9

Budget & Debt

Expenditures $4.94 billion
Revenue $4.96 billion
Current Account Balance $-4.38 billion
External Debt $4.86 billion

Trade

Exports $7.36 billion
Export Items oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns
Export Partners Australia 31.5%, Japan 7%, China 6.2% (2011)
Imports $5.27 billion
Import Items machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals
Import Partners Australia 36.9%, Singapore 14.1%, Malaysia 9.1%, China 7%, Japan 5%, Indonesia 4.7%, US 4.7% (2011)

People

Population 6,431,902
Population Growth 1.89%
Ethnic Groups Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian
Religion Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 69.4% (Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%), Baha'i 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3
Life Expectancy 66.66 years
Infant Mortality 1.05 deaths/1,000 live births
Maternal Mortality 2.9 deaths/100,000 live births

Energy

Electricity Production 3.33 billion kWh
Electricity Consumption 3.1 billion kWh
From Fossil Fuels 61.1%
From Nuclear 0%
From Hydroelectric 30.9%
From Renewable Sources 8%