ABOUT PAPUA NEW GUINEA
1.1 Area
1.4 Demography
Papua New Guinea (PNG) consists of the eastern half of New Guinea island, the two large islands of New Britain and New Ireland, more than 300 small islands and the autonomous region of Bougainville.
PNG’s population is among the most ethnically diverse in the world although it can be very broadly geographically divided into four groups: New Guineans, Papuans, Highlanders and Islanders.
PNG has a land area of 452,860 square kilometres, slightly more than the U.S. state of California. The country has 5152 kilometres of coastline. PNG has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 3,120,000 square kilometres.
The most recent estimate of PNG’s population is 6.6 million (June 2009).
PNG shares a border with Indonesia’s Papua province to the west and with Australia in the Torres Strait and Coral Sea to the south. PNG shares a maritime border with Solomon Islands to the southeast. The capital city Port Moresby is situated on a spectacular natural harbour on the southwest coast of PNG’s mainland.
1.2 The region PNG is the largest country and largest economy in the Pacific Islands region. The region is divided into three geographical groups: Micronesia in the north, Polynesia in the east, and Melanesia in the west. Besides PNG, Melanesia includes Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. PNG is situated at 6° latitude south and 147° longitude east.
1.3 Topography The terrain of PNG is characterised by spectacularly jagged mountain ranges, deep valleys and rivers in the highlands, and coral reefs and mangrove swamps in coastal regions. Its more than 600 islands are widely spread and range from small coral atolls to larger, mountainous and volcanic islands. PNG’s principal rivers are the Fly, Purari, Kikori, Sepik, Ramu and Markham. Forest and woodlands cover about 70% of PNG’s total land area, and permanent crops about 1.4%. As a result of its topography and position on the volatile seismic line known as the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire,’ PNG has occasional natural hazards, including earthquakes and mudslides.
The annual population growth rate is 2.7%. The majority of PNG’s people—87%—live in rural areas, and the annual rural population growth rate is 2.8%. This high growth rate is creating challenges in some parts of PNG, including the Highlands region, as food security becomes an increasing issue. 40% of PNG’s population is under 15 years of age. According to the World Health Organization’s 2006 figures, life expectancy at birth is 60 years of age for males and 64 for females.
1.5 Language More than 800 different indigenous languages are spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. The three official languages are English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu. English is widely spoken, and is the language of government, the education system and business. Tok Pisin, which is also known as New Guinea Pidgin, is widely spoken except in the southern part of Papua, where Hiri Motu is more commonly spoken.
1.6 PNG’s culture The hundreds of distinct and separate communities that make up PNG’s indigenous population are divided by language, customs and tradition. Despite these differences, traditional PNG societies have key things in common: they generally operate in a subsistence economy, recognise the wantok system of social obligation, allow for status to be attained rather than inherited, and have a deep attachment to communally-held land. The wantok system is a complex arrangement of obligations, which can require Papua New Guineans to assist other members of their extended tribe through the redistribution of income and wealth. This can mitigate against the amassing of personal wealth. The management of land is intrinsically linked to Papua New Guinean culture. About 97% of PNG’s land is held under customary ownership. This can provide a challenge for those seeking to secure land for commercial ventures.
THE PNG INVESTORS’ MANUAL - SECOND EDITION
11