Papua New Guinea

Full name of country: Independent State of Papua New Guinea

Region: East & Southeast Asia

Official language: Tok Pisin, English, Hiri Motu

Population: 10,046,233 (2024 estimate)

Nationality: Papua New Guinean(s) (noun), Papua New Guinean (adjective)

Land area: 452,860 sq km (174,850 sq miles)

Water area: 9,980 sq km (3,853 sq miles)

Capital: Port Moresby

National anthem: "O Arise All You Sons", by Thomas Shacklady

National holiday: Independence Day, September 16 (1975)

Population growth: 2.26% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +10

Flag: The flag of Papua New Guinea is divided diagonally from the top hoist (or left) side. The bottom triangle is black, and features the Southern Cross constellation, consisting of five white stars. The top triangle, occupying the upper fly side, is red and features a yellow bird of paradise design. The flag’s design symbolizes the country’s emergence into nationhood.

Independence: September 16, 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)

Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

The Independent State of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is located in the South Pacific Ocean, roughly 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Australia. The country occupies the eastern part of the island of New Guinea, the second largest noncontinental island in the world. It also encompasses the islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, some of the Solomon Islands, and other small islands.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography. 

Papua New Guinea is renowned for the abundant diversity of its indigenous cultures, languages, and animal life. There are more than eight hundred spoken dialects, and perhaps an even greater number of ethnic groups. Nearly two hundred species of mammals have been discovered one the islands, and still much of the mountainous tropical terrain is unexplored.

Papua New Guinea's HDI value for 2022 is 0.568— which put the country in the Medium human development category—ranked positioning it at 154 out of 193 countries and territories.

Principal Cities by Population (2024)

• Port Moresby (410,000)
• Lae (123,398)
• Madang (32,318)
• Mount Hagen (27,877)
• Wewak (27,031)
• Goroka (19,523)
• Kimbe (14,184)

Topography

Papua New Guinea shares its western border with the Irian Jaya province of Indonesia, its neighbor on the island of New Guinea. Hundreds of offshore islands, including the Bismarck Archipelago, Manus, Buka, Bougainville, the Louisiade Archipelago, and others, account for roughly 15 percent of the country’s total land area.

The interior mainland of Papua New Guinea is dominated by the Bismarck, Victor Emanuel, and Owen Stanley mountain ranges. The porous limestone rock absorbs rainwater, so there are no streams in this part of the country. The country’s highest point is at the peak of Mount Wilhelm, 4,509 meters (14,793 feet) above sea level.

Between the mountain ranges are the highland valleys, where most of the population is concentrated. The southern region is characterized by its many rivers, as well as Milne Bay. Major rivers include the Fly, Kikori, Markham, and the Ramu. The Fly River is 1,050 kilometers (652 miles) long; roughly 70 percent of its length is navigable.

The southwest coast is one of the largest swamp areas in the world, draining into the Gulf of Papua. Rising 61 meters (200 feet) above the swamp is the area of grassland known as the Oriomo Plateau.

Because of its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” Papua New Guinea experiences frequent earthquakes and mudslides, and its islands have active volcanoes. Some of the smallest islands are coral atolls.

Cultural Sites & Landmarks

In 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the Kuk Early Agricultural Site as a cultural World Heritage Site. It is a protected area of 116 hectares (286 acres) of swamp in western New Guinea. Archaeological excavation has shown that the ancient site has been inhabited by humans for nearly ten thousand years. The Kuk Early Agricultural Site represents and illustrates the transition that humans in the area made from plant gathering to agrarian efforts, such as farming bananas, taro, and yam. It contains evidence of cultivation mounds, drainage ditches, and wooden farming tools, and also shows changes in agricultural practices over time.

Papua New Guinea is also renowned for its undeveloped, diverse terrain, and for abundant tribal cultures. UNESCO is considering many of these culturally and environmentally important sites for inclusion on the World Heritage List. These include the Kikori River Basin and the Great Papuan Plateau, which covers 6 percent of the nation’s landmass, and the rugged Kokoda Track (also known as the Kokoda Trail) and Owen Stanley Ranges. Both of these are proposed as mixed sites distinguished for their biodiversity and geographical importance, as well as for their cultural landscapes. The latter was the site of a famous World War II battle between the Australians and the Japanese in 1942. Other proposed sites include the Milne Bay Seascape, which incorporates uninhabited coral atolls and islands; the Sublime Karsts of Papua New Guinea, which feature distinct landscapes and sparse human activity; and the Upper Sepik River Basin, recognized for its diverse habitats and tribal cultures.

Port Moresby is home to the National Museum and Art Gallery, which features one of the world’s most renowned collections of indigenous art, as well as extensive anthropological, archeological, and natural science exhibits. The National Museum encompasses the Department of Modern History Museum, which is dedicated to twentieth-century events in Papua New Guinea. The museum also features significant collections of World War II and other military artifacts. It also contains an extensive photography collection documenting the islands’ wartime experience. The Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery also reflects the toll of the war on the island, as it contains the remains of nearly four thousand British Commonwealth fighters who were casualties of the Allied effort to defend the territory from Japanese invasion.

In addition, the Port Moresby’s National Botanical Gardens houses one of the world’s largest orchid collections. Originally affiliated with the adjoining University of Papua New Guinea, the gardens contain a wide sampling of tropical vegetation indigenous to the region. Other attractions in the capital include the National Parliament building, which combines elements of traditional design within a modern architectural framework. It was built in 1984 in the style of a traditional haus tambaran or “spirit house” (an ancestral place of worship). In small villages, the spirit house is an elaborately decorated ceremonial structure around which tribal life revolves.

Government Structure

Today, Papua New Guinea is a constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm. The chief of state is the British monarch, represented in the country by a governor-general. The prime minister, usually the leader of the majority party, is the head of the government. Officials of the cabinet, or National Executive Council, are appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the prime minister.

The unicameral National Parliament is the country’s legislature. Its 109 members are elected to five-year terms. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into a national capital district, one autonomous region, and twenty provinces.

Papua New Guinea is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and occupies an observer position in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Fascinating Facts

• The island of New Guinea was discovered by Portuguese explorer Jorge de Meneses in 1526.
• The Panguna Copper Mine is twice as wide as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
• In the centuries predating the arrival of Europeans in the Port Moresby area, Port Moresby’s arid climate and poor soil prevented the local Motu people from raising sufficient crops. As a result, the Motu became expert sailors, who bartered clay pots and other implements for food grown by the villages with which they traded. The Motu canoe fleets, called hiri, were commonly manned by several hundred men. As many as twenty thousand clay pots might be traded in the course of a single trading expedition.

Bibliography

St. Louis, Regis, et al. Lonely Planet Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands. Footscray: Lonely Planet, 2012. Print.

Gewertz, Deborah, and Frederick Errington. “Why We Return to Papua New Guinea.” Anthropological Quarterly 70.3 (1997): 127–36. Print.

Gibson, John. “The Papua New Guinea Household Survey.” Australian Economic Rev. 33.4 (2000): 377. Print.

Ingram, Derek. “Papua New Guinea.” Round Table (1998): 21. Print.

Koczberski, Gina, and George N. Curry. “Divided Communities and Contested Landscapes: Mobility, Development and Shifting Identities in Migrant Destination Sites in Papua New Guinea.” AsiaPacific Viewpoint 45.3 (2004): 357–71. Print.

McPherson, Naomi M. “Faces of the Spirits: The Sulka People of Papua New Guinea.” Contemporary Pacific 15.1 (2003): 229–31. Print.

“Papua New Guinea: Country Forecast: Forecast Scenarios.” Political Risk Yearbook: Papua New Guinea Country Forecast (2006): 15–26. Print.

Wood, Mike. “Rimbunan Hijau versus the World Bank and Australian Miners: Print Media Representations of Forestry.” Australian Jour. of Anthropology 10.2 (1999): 175. Print.

"Papua New Guinea" The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 16 Jan. 2025, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea/ Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

 "Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme 2022, 13th March 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.