Papua New Guinea
Independent State of Papua New Guinea
| |
|---|---|
Flag
National emblem
| |
| Motto: 'Unity in diversity'[1]: 52 | |
| Anthem: "O Arise, All You Sons"[2][3] | |
Location of Papua New Guinea (green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Port Moresby 09°28′44″S 147°08′58″E / 9.47889°S 147.14944°E |
| Official languages | |
Indigenous languages | 839 languages[5] |
| Religion (2011)[6] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Papua New Guinean • Papuan |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
• Governor-General | Bob Dadae |
• Prime Minister | James Marape |
| Legislature | National Parliament |
| Independence from Australia | |
• Administrative union | 1 July 1949 |
• Independence | 16 September 1975 |
| Area | |
• Total | 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi) (54th) |
• Water (%) | 2 |
| Population | |
• 2021 estimate | 11,781,559[8] (82nd) |
• 2011 census | 7,257,324[9] |
• Density | 25.5/km2 (66.0/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2025 estimate |
• Total | $41.810 billion[10] (135th) |
• Per capita | $3,760[10] (162th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2025 estimate |
• Total | $32.840 billion[10] (108th) |
• Per capita | $2,560[10] (142th) |
| Gini (2009) | 41.9[11] medium inequality |
| HDI (2023) | 0.576[12] medium (160th) |
| Currency | Kina (PGK) |
| Time zone | UTC+10, +11 (PNGST) |
| Calling code | +675 |
| ISO 3166 code | PG |
| Internet TLD | .pg |
Papua New Guinea[a] (PNG), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea,[14] is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. It has a land border with Indonesia to the west and maritime borders with Australia to the south and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital is Port Moresby. The country's 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi) includes a large mainland and hundreds of islands.
The territory of Papua New Guinea was split in the 1880s between German New Guinea in the north and the British Territory of Papua in the south, the latter of which was ceded to Australia in 1902. All of present-day Papua New Guinea came under Australian control following World War I, although it remained two distinct territories. The nation was the site of fierce fighting during the New Guinea campaign of World War II, following which the two territories were united. Papua New Guinea became an independent Commonwealth realm in 1975. Representing the King is a Governor-General. Politics takes place within a Westminster system, with the government led by a Prime Minister. Members of the national parliament also serve as provincial leaders.
The population is highly rural, with only 14% living in urban centres in 2023. The persistence of traditional communities and lifestyles are explicitly protected by the Papua New Guinea Constitution. While official population estimates suggest the population is around 11.8 million, estimates using satellite data put the number closer to 17 million. The population is extremely diverse. There are 840 known spoken languages, making it the most linguistically diverse country in the world. Cultural practices are similarly diverse. Many cultural and linguistic groups are small, although English and Tok Pisin serve as common languages. This diversity has led to friction, especially in politics, and the government has struggled to combat violence against women. Most of the country is Christian, of many different denominations.
The rural and diverse population is a result of highly mountainous geography. The land supports around 5% of all known species, and the export-driven economy is also dependent on natural resources. Papua New Guinea is a developing economy where nearly 40% of the population are subsistence farmers living relatively independently of the cash economy. The country retains close ties to Australia, and has enhanced ties with both Asia and the Pacific.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Reilly2004was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Never more to rise". The National. 6 February 2006. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2005.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
ciawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Sign language becomes an official language in PNG". Radio New Zealand. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ethnologuewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Koloma. Kele, Roko. Hajily. "Papua New Guinea 2011 National Report-National Statistical Office". sdd.spc.int. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ Waide, Scott (13 March 2025). "Papua New Guinea declares Christian identity in constitutional amendment". Radio New Zealand.
- ^ "Population | National Statistical Office | Papua New Guinea". Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "2011 National Population and Housing Census of Papua New Guinea – Final Figures". National Statistical Office of Papua New Guinea. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025". International Monetary Fund. April 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "GINI index (World Bank estimate)". data.worldbank.org. World Bank. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ Pedro Conceição (2025). Human Development Report 2025. United Nations Development Programme. p. 276. ISBN 9789211542639. ISSN 2412-3129.
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917], Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.), English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-3-12-539683-8
- ^ "Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
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