Papua New Guinea
Facts
Area:
Total: 178,703 sq miles
Land: 174,850 sq miles
Water: 3,853 sq miles
Climate:
Tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
Elevation Extremes:
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 ft
Highest point: Mount Wilhelm 14,793 ft
Population:
5,795,887
Ethnic Groups:
Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian
Religions:
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%
Languages:
Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total)
Country name
Conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
Local short form: Papuaniuginim
Abbreviation: PNG
Government type:
Constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Port Moresby
Independence:
16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,700 (2006 est.)
Currency:
Papua New Guinea kina (PGK)
Time Zone:
GMT +10
Country Dialing Code:
+675
Electricity:
240V 50HzHz