Papua New Guinea

Land Characteristics

Name of Country: Independent State of Papua New Guinea

Form of Government: Parliamentary monarchy (Commonwealth)

Capital: Port Moresby

Area: 462840 km²

Time Zone: GMT + 10 hours

Population: 6732000

Population 2015: (est.) 6.642 million

Population density: 14.5 per km²

Life expectancy: 63.8 years

Infant mortality (per 1000): 56.5

Languages: English*, Pidgin, Motu*, Papua and about 750 other Papua languages

Literacy: 65%

Religions: Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian, 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Protestant sects 11%, local indigenous beliefs 34%

Population: Papua 84% minorities of Melanesians, Polynesians, Chinese and Europeans, 16%

Currency: Kina

Economy: Agriculture 36%, Industry 45%, Services 20%

GDP per capita: 1180 US-Dollars

Climate: Tropical, rainy season from December to March

Highest point: Mount Wilhelm (4509m high)

Papua New Guinea consists mainly of the eastern half of the New Guinea Island (the western part belongs to Indonesia). Additionally there are 600 very small islands. The mainland Papua New Guinea is home to several hundred different ethnic groups. This has resulted in about 750 different languages and dialects. In 1545, Spanish explorers named the main island New Guinea, because they believed they had similarities with the inhabitants of the African Guinea. Over the last 200 years parts of the country were controlled by the Dutch, Germans, Japanese and Australians. Papua New Guinea has been completely independent since 1975. Today there are large social differences between the very remote high country residents (in the mountains in the middle of the country) and the lowland residents. Long blood feuds are the result.