About Papua New Guinea

Country Information

When traveling to a new country it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with some basic information about the country to better prepare yourself. For this purpose, we have provided a general outline of Papua New Guinea for you below.

Please take note that this information is intended for reference purposes only, and the information provided on this page may change at any time and without prior warning. For more up to date information about Papua New Guinea, please contact a travel expert prior to your departure.

Official Name: Papua New Guinea’s official name is the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. The country has a complex administrative history, having previously been German New Guinea and British New Guinea before World War I, and later becoming the Territory of Papua and New Guinea which was run by the Australians after World War II until gaining independence peacefully in 1975.

Capital: Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea, and its largest city.

Location: Papua New Guinea is located in the region of Oceania, referring to the group of islands between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean and east of Indonesia. The island of New Guinea is just North of Australia’s Cape York Peninsula.

Size: Papua New Guinea covers a total area of 462,840 sq km, inclusive of land and water territory. The country covers the eastern part of New Guinea, which is the second largest island in the world. Papua New Guinea covers a larger area than Sweden.

Climate: Papua New Guinea’s climate is almost entirely tropical, with much of the land covered in rainforests. They have a northwest monsoon season from December to March and a southeast monsoon season from May to October bringing plenty of rain throughout the year. Temperatures are lower in the highlands and there are snow fields on some of the islands highest mountains despite being located near the equator.

Population: Papua New Guinea has a population of approximately 5,940,775 people, similar in population size to nations like Togo and Nicaragua.

Life expectancy at birth: Papua New Guinea has an overall life expectancy at birth of 65.75 years. This is comparable to countries like Grenada and Nepal. In general, Papua New Guinean women live on average 5 years longer than men.

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: Papua New Guinea has a relatively high rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence, with 1.50% of the population living with the disease. This is on par with nations like Mali and Trinidad and Tobago. There are an estimated 54,000 people suffering from the illness in Papua New Guinea and it is the fourth country in its geographical subregion that has been classified as having a generalized AIDS epidemic.

Major illnesses: Papua New Guinea has a high risk of major diseases, with bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid fever being among the water and food borne diseases to be wary of. Dengue fever is also a major issue, while Malaria is endemic in every province with between 1.5-1.8 million suspected malaria cases seen in healthcare facilities every year.

Ethnic Groups: Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous nations on the planet. Major ethnic groups include Papuans, Melanesians, Negritos, Micronesians and Polynesians, although this does not include the over 700 remaining ethnic groups present in the country.

Languages: Papua New Guinea has three official languages; Tok Pisin, a local creole language, English and Hiri Motu. In total, there are more than 800 languages in Papua New Guinea, making up over 10% of the total languages in the world. While English is the official language of government, business and education past grade 2 of Primary school, it is only spoken by about 1-2% of the population and Tok Pisin remains the lingua franca.

Religion: Most of the population of Papua New Guinea is Christian, although their belief systems may still retain elements of traditional indigenous practices and beliefs which are usually animist in nature. Based on the 2000 census Roman Catholics make up 27% of the population, Evangelical Lutherans at 19.5%, United Church members at 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventists 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant groups making up 8.9%, Bahai 0.3% and indigenous religions making up 3.3%.

Government: Papua New Guinea is a constitutional parliamentary democracy, as well as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Prime Minister is the holder of executive powers, while the country’s unicameral parliament holds legislative power.

Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II is the current head of state because Papua New Guinea is a member of the Commonwealth. Her royal highness is represented on the island by the governor general, which is currently Sir Paulias Matane who has held his position since June 29, 2004.

Head of Government: The current head of government is Sir Michael Somare who has been the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea since August 2, 2002. He is assisted by the Deputy Prime Minister Puka Temu, who has held his post since August 29, 2007.

Military: Papua New Guinea has a unified military force called the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) which includes Maritime and Air operations elements. There is no conscription in Papua New Guinea and 16 is the minimum age for voluntary military service, although it requires parental consent. Papua New Guinea currently has military expenditures that make up approximately 1.4% of its GDP.

Economy: Papua New Guinea is a developing nation and 85% of the population is currently engaged in agriculture which provides them with a subsistence livelihood. There are small amounts of cash crops, with coffee, cocoa and copra being some of the more lucrative varieties. Papua New Guinea does have large quantities of natural resources, including copper, oil and gold which make up about two thirds of the country’s export earnings. While the rugged terrain makes development difficult, an American oil company-led consortium started construction of a liquefied natural gas production facility in 2009, which could start exporting in 2013 or 2014 and provide a major boost to Papua New Guineas GDP.

GDP: Papua New Guinea’s GDP is approximately $14.02 billion US Dollars by purchasing power parity. This puts it in between Laos at $15.07 billion and Tajikistan at $13.8 billion US Dollars.

For more information about Papua New Guinea expat insurance, the international health insurance plans we offer in the country, or want a quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.

For more information about Papua New Guinea, the international health insurance plans we offer in the country, or want a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.

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