PAPUA NEW GUINEA
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LAND
475,369 km2
Land boundaries: 966 km
WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 12 nm (economic including fishing 200 nm)
Coastline: about 5,152 km
PEOPLE
Population: 3,126,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.2%
Nationality: noun—Papua New Guinean(s); adjective—Papua New Guinean
Ethnic divisions: predominantly Melanesian and Papuan; some Negrito, Micronesian, and Polynesian
Religion: over one-half of population nominally Christian (490,000 Catholic, 320,000 Lutheran, other Protestant sects); remainder animist
Language: 715 indigenous languages; pidgin English in much of the country and Motu in Papua region are linguae francae; English spoken by 1% to 2% of population
Literacy: 15%; in English, 0.1%
Labor force: 1.44 million (1979); agriculture, forestry, fishing employ 85% of labor force; 200,000 (1979 est.) in salaried employment
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Papua New Guinea
Type: independent parliamentary state within Commonwealth recognizing Elizabeth II as head of state
Capital: Port Moresby
Political subdivisions: 19 administrative districts (15 in New Guinea, 4 in Papua)
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September
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)
Government leaders: Governor General Sir Tore LOKO-LOKO; Prime Minister Sir Julius CHAN
Suffrage: universal adult suffrage
Elections: preferential-type elections for 109-member House of Assembly every five years, next held in June 1982
Political parties: Pangu Party, People's Progress Party, United Party, Papua Besena, National Party, Melanesian Alliance
Communists: no significant strength
Member of: ADB, CIPEC (associate), Commonwealth, ESCAP (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ITU, South Pacific Commission, South Pacific Forum, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO (associate)
ECONOMY
GNP: $2.05 billion (FY79 est.), $650 per capita; real growth (1979) 3% est
Agriculture: main crops—coffee, cocoa, coconuts, timber, tea
Major industries: sawmilling and timber processing, copper mining (Bougainville)
Electric power: 425,000 kW capacity (1980); 1.275 billion kWh produced (1980), 398 kWh per capita
Exports: $960.0 million (f.o.b., 1979); copper, coconut products, coffee beans, cocoa, copra, timber
Imports: $935.5 million (c.i.f., 1979)
Major trade partners: Australia, UK, Japan
Aid: economic—Australia, $1,158 million committed (1976-81); World Bank group (1968-September 1969), $14.8 million committed; US, Ex-Im bank loans (FY70-73), $32.5 million extended
Budget: (1979) $759 million
Monetary conversion rate: Kina $1=US$1.5 (December 1980)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: none
Highways: 19,200 km total; 640 km paved, 10,960 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 7,600 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 10,940 km
Ports: 5 principal, 9 minor
