1987 Edition

Administrative divisions

20 provinces

Airfields

551] total, 445 usable; 15 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 35 with runways 1,220-2,4389 m

Branches

executive—National Executive Council; legislature—House of Assembly (109 members); judiciary—court system consists of Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea and various inferior courts (district courts, local courts, children’s courts, wardens’ courts)

Capital

Port Moresby

Climate

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

Coastline

5,152 km

Communists

no significant strength

Comparative area

slightly larger than California

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Elections

preferential-type elections for 109-member House of Assembly every five years, last held in June 1982

Environment

one of world’s largest swamps along southwest coast; some active volcanos; frequent earthquakes

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Government leaders

Sir Kingsford DIBELA, Governor General (since March 1983); Paias WINGTI, Prime Minister (since November 1985)

Land boundary

966 km with Indonesia

Land use

NEGL% arable land; 1% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 71% forest and woodland; 28% other

Legal system

based on English common law

Maritime claims

(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)

Member of

ADB, ANRPC, CIPEC (associate), Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, South Pacific Commission, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September

Political parties

Pangu Party, People’s Progress Party, United Party, Papua Besena, National Party, Melanesian Alliance

Special notes

none

Suffrage

universal adult

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; 51,483 telephones (1.5 per 100 popl.); 31 AM, 2 FM, no TV stations, 1 satellite station

Terrain

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

§00 km South Pacific Ocean oes « Scag me = New Ireland o of a? * e . * = « . * mee Qo ainville New 9 Britain Coral Ses

461,690 km?; land area: 451,710 km?

Type

independent parliamentary state within Commonwealth recognizing Elizabeth II as head of state

Ethnic divisions

predominantly Melanesian and Papuan; some Negrito, Micronesian, and Polynesian

Infant mortality rate

102/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

1.66 million (1980); 732,806 (1980) in salaried employment; 54% agriculture, 25% government, 9% industry and commerce, 8% services

Language

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

Life expectancy

50

Literacy

32%

Nationality

noun—Papua New Guinean(s); adjective—Papua New Guinean

Population

3,563,743 July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.41%

Religion

over half of population nominally Christian (490,000 Catholic, 320,000 Lutheran, other Protestant sects); remainder indigenous beliefs

Official name

Independent State of

Agriculture

coffee, cocoa, coconuts, timber, tea

Electric power

750,000 kW capacity; 1,700 million kWh produced, 500 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$920 million (f.0.b., 1985); gold, copper, coffee, palm oil, logs, cocoa, copra, coconut oil, tea

GNP

$2.2 billion, $680 per capita; real growth 2.2% (1984); 3.7% inflation rate (1985)

Imports

$969 million (f.0.b., 1984); machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, food and live animals, chemicals, other manufactured goods

Major industries

sawmilling and timber processing, copper mining (Bougainville), fish canning

Major trade partners

Australia, UK,

Natural resources

gold, copper, silver, gas

Branches

Papua New Guinea Defense Force

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $34.5 million; about 3.5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 880,000; 489,000 fit for military service