世界各国

Papua New Guinea

Introduction to Papua New Guinea

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.

Government

Capital:

Port Moresby 

Independence:

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

National holiday:

Independence Day, 16 September (1975) 

Economy

Economy overview:

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 72% of export earnings. The economy has faltered over the past four years. Former Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA had tried to restore integrity to state institutions, to stabilize the kina, restore stability to the national budget, to privatize public enterprises where appropriate, and to ensure ongoing peace on Bougainville. The government has had considerable success in attracting international support, specifically gaining the backing of the IMF and the World Bank in securing development assistance loans. Challenges face Prime Minister Michael SOMARE, including curbing inflation, gaining further investor confidence, continuing efforts to privatize government assets, maintaining the support of members of Parliament, and balancing relations with Australia, the former colonial ruler. 

GDP:

purchasing power parity -$1.48 billion (2004 est.) 

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 34%
industry: 37.7%
services: 28.3% (2004 est.)

Agriculture products:

coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry, pork 

Industries:

copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production; construction, tourism 

Transportation

Highways:

total: 19,600 km
paved: 686 km
unpaved: 18,914 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:

10,940 km (2003)

Pipelines:

oil 264 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:

Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul

Merchant marine:

total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 47,586 GRT/60,934 DWT
foreign-owned: Singapore 2, United Kingdom 6
registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.)
by type: bulk 1, cargo 12, chemical tanker 1, combination ore/oil 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 2

Airports:

559 (2003 est.)