]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Oceania, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia ^# 6 00 S, 147 00 E ^$ Oceania ^% `! 462,840 sq km `" 452,860 sq km `# 9,980 sq km ^& slightly larger than California ^' `! 820 km `Y Indonesia 820 km ^( 5,152 km ^) measured from claimed archipelagic baselines `$ 12 nm `O 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation `l 200 nm ^* tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation ^+ mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m ^- gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries ^. `' 0.49% `( 1.4% `) 98.11% (2005) ^/ NA ^0 active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis ^1 rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought _P `P Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast 
]# ^3 5,795,887 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 37.6% (male 1,107,568/female 1,070,594) `, 58.5% (male 1,745,385/female 1,643,830) `- 3.9% (male 106,487/female 122,023) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 21.4 years `. 21.5 years `/ 21.2 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.163% (2007 est.) ^7 28.76 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.035 male(s)/female `, 1.062 male(s)/female `- 0.873 male(s)/female `2 1.043 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 48.46 deaths/1,000 live births `. 52.52 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 44.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 65.62 years `. 63.41 years `/ 67.95 years (2007 est.) ^= 3.79 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.6% (2003 est.) ^? 60,000 (2005 est.) ^@ 600 (2003 est.) _` `h very high `i bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2007) ^A `3 Papua New Guinean(s) `4 Papua New Guinean ^B Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian ^C Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant 10%, indigenous beliefs 34% ^D Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region `* 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total) ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 64.6% `. 71.1% `/ 57.7% (2002) 
]$ ^F `6 Independent State of Papua New Guinea `7 Papua New Guinea `[ Papuaniugini `\ Territory of Papua and New Guinea `] PNG ^H constitutional parliamentary democracy ^I `8 Port Moresby `9 9 30 S, 147 10 E `: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain ^K 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) ^L Independence Day, 16 September (1975) ^M 16 September 1975 ^N based on English common law ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by governor general Sir Paulius MATANE (since 29 June 2004) `< Prime Minister Sir Michael SOMARE (since 2 August 2002); deputy prime minister Don POYLE (since 5 July 2006) `= National Executive Council appointed by governor general on recommendation of prime minister `> none; monarch is hereditary; governor general nominated by parliament and appointed by chief of state; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by governor general ^Q unicameral National Parliament - sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly (109 seats, 89 elected from open electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) `> last held 15-29 June 2002 and April and May 2003; completed in May 2003 (voting in the Southern Highlands was not completed during the June 2002 election period); next to be held not later than June 2007 `? percent of vote by party - National Alliance 18%, URP 13%, PDM 12%, PPP 8%, Pangu 6%, PAP 5%, PLP 4%, other 34%; seats by party - National Alliance 19, URP 14, PDM 13, PPP 8, PANGU 6, PAP 5, PLP 4, other 40 `* association with political parties is fluid ^R Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission) ^S Christian Democratic Party [Dr. Banare BUN]; Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP [Sir Moi AVEL]; National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party; Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU [Rabbie NAMALIU]; Papua New Guinea First Party [Cecilking DORUBA]; Papua New Guinea Labor Party [Bob DANAYA]; Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP [Sir Mekere MORAUTA] (was People's Democratic Movement or PDM); People's Action Party or PAP [Moses MALADINA]; People's Labor Party or PLP [Ekis ROPENU]; People's National Congress or PNC [Peter O'NEILL]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Byron CHAN]; Pipol First Party [Luther WENGE]; United Party [Bire KIMASOPA]; United Resources Party or URP [Tim NEVILLE] (2007) ^T NA ^U ACP, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Evan Jeremy PAKI `S 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036 `T [1] (202) 745-3680 `U [1] (202) 745-3679 ^W `R Ambassador Leslie V. ROWE `_ Douglas Street, Port Moresby `` 4240 Port Moresby PI, US Department of State, Washington DC 20521-4240 `T [675] 321-1455 `U [675] 321-3423 ^X divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered 
]% ^Y Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. The government of Prime Minister SOMARE has expended much of its energy remaining in power and should be the first government in decades to serve a full five-year term. The government also brought stability to the national budget, largely through expenditure control; however, it has relaxed spending constraints in 2006 and 2007 as elections approach. Numerous challenges still face the government including regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and balancing relations with Australia, its former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including a worsening HIV/Aids epidemic and chronic law and order and land tenure issues. Australia annually supplies $240 million in aid, which accounts for nearly 20% of the national budget. ^Z $15.13 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $4.148 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 3.2% (2006 est.) ^] $2,700 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 35.7% `A 37.1% `B 27.2% (2006 est.) ^_ 3.477 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 85% `A NA% `B NA% ^a 2% up to 80% in urban areas (2004) _! 37% (2002 est.) _" `C 1.7% `D 40.5% (1996) _d 50.9 (1996) _# 2.5% (2006 est.) _V 19.2% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $2.155 billion `F $2.166 billion; including capital expenditures of $344 million (2006 est.) _% 53.7% of GDP (2006 est.) _& coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; shell fish, poultry, pork _' copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production, petroleum refining; construction, tourism _( NA% _) 3.358 billion kWh (2004) _* 3.123 billion kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 50,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.) _. 18,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _W 170 million bbl (2006 est.) _1 140 million cu m (2004 est.) _2 140 million cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Z 345.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $661 million (2006 est.) _3 $4.096 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns _5 Australia 28.8%, Japan 8.6%, China 5.4% (2005) _6 $1.686 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals _8 Australia 54.7%, Singapore 13.4%, Japan 4.3%, Malaysia 4.2% (2005) _[ $1.099 billion (2006 est.) _9 $1.801 billion (2006 est.) _: $NA _; kina (PGK) _< kina per US dollar - 3.0643 (2006), 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004), 3.5635 (2003), 3.8952 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 62,000 (2002) _? 26,000 (2005) _@ `G services are adequate; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services `H mostly radiotelephone `I country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service _A AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998) _B 3 (all in the Port Moresby area; stations at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned) (2004) _C .pg _D 1,573 (2006) _E 170,000 (2005) 
]' _F 582 (2006) _G `! 21 `J 2 `b 14 `c 4 `W 1 (2006) _R `! 561 `b 11 `c 62 `W 488 (2006) _] 2 (2006) _^ oil 264 km (2006) _H `! 19,600 km `K 686 km `L 18,914 km (1999) _b 10,940 km (2003) _S `! 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,532 GRT/72,240 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 `X 6 (UK 6) (2006) _I Kimbe, Lae, Rabaul 
]( _J Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Maritime Operations Element, Air Operations Element) (2007) _T 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) _K males age 18-49: 1,264,728 females age 18-49: 1,167,188 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 902,432 females age 18-49: 894,759 (2005 est.) _U 1.4% (2005 est.) 
]) _N relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists _c `o 9,991 (Indonesia) (2006) _O major consumer of cannabis 