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.

Oceania, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia

slightly larger than California

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries

active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis

rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought

shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 860 indigenous languages spoken (over 12% of the world's total); most languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers

Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 69.4% (Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%), Baha'i 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census)

6,310,129 (July 2012 est.)

25.92 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

6.56 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

PORT MORESBY (capital) 314,000 (2009)

230 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

3.39 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.053 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

urban: 71% of population

rural: 41% of population

total: 45% of population

urban: 29% of population

rural: 59% of population

total: 55% of population

the indigenous population of Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous in the world; PNG has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people; divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in low-scale tribal conflict with their neighbors for millennia; the advent of modern weapons and modern migrants into urban areas has greatly magnified the impact of this lawlessness

constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

18 provinces, 1 autonomous region*, and 1 district**; Bougainville*, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital**, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain

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

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Parliament (109 seats, 89 filled from open electorates and 20 from provinces and national capital district; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); constitution allows up to 126 seats

Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission)

National Alliance Party or NA [Patrick PRUAITCHI]; Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP [Beldan NEMAH]; People's National Congress Party or PNC [Peter O'NEILL]; People's Party or PP; People's Progress Party or PPP; Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party or THE [Don Poyle]; United Resources Party or URP [William DUMA]

Centre for Environment Law and Community Rights or Celcor [Damien ASE]; Community Coalition Against Corruption; National Council of Women; Transparency International PNG

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (observer), C, CD, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered; red, black, and yellow are traditional colors of Papua New Guinea; the bird of paradise - endemic to the island of New Guinea - is an emblem of regional tribal culture and represents the emergence of Papua New Guinea as a nation; the Southern Cross, visible in the night sky, symbolizes Papua New Guinea's connection with Australia and several other countries in the South Pacific

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain, land tenure issues, and the high cost of developing infrastructure. The economy has a small formal sector, focused mainly on the export of those natural resources, and an informal sector, employing the majority of the population. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the people. Mineral deposits, including copper, gold, and oil, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. Natural gas reserves amount to an estimated 227 billion cubic meters. A consortium led by a major American oil company is constructing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility that could begin exporting in 2014. As the largest investment project in the country's history, it has the potential to double GDP in the near-term and triple Papua New Guinea's export revenue. An American-owned firm also opened PNG's first oil refinery in 2004 and is building a second LNG production facility. The government faces the challenge of ensuring transparency and accountability for revenues flowing from this and other large LNG projects. In 2011 and 2012, the National Parliament passed legislation that created an offshore Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) to manage government surpluses from mineral, oil, and natural gas projects. In recent years, the government has opened up markets in telecommunications and air transport, making both more affordable to the people. Numerous challenges still face the government of Peter O'NEILL, including providing physical security for foreign investors, regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and maintaining good relations with Australia, its former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including chronic law and order and land tenure issues. The global financial crisis had little impact because of continued foreign demand for PNG's commodities.

$18.45 billion (2012 est.)

$17.14 billion (2011 est.)

$15.74 billion (2010 est.)

$15.39 billion (2012 est.)

3.986 million (2012 est.)

20.6% of GDP (2012 est.)

32.2% of GDP (2012 est.)

0.1% of GDP (2012 est.)

23.3% of GDP (2012 est.)

22.9% of GDP (2011 est.)

14% (31 December 2010 est.)

6.92% (31 December 2009 est.)

11.3% (31 December 2012 est.)

10.81% (31 December 2011 est.)

$5.685 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$4.488 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$8.624 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$7.134 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$3.585 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$3.093 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$8.999 billion (31 December 2011)

$9.742 billion (31 December 2010)

$12.21 billion (31 December 2009)

coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; poultry, pork; shellfish

-$4.381 billion (2012 est.)

-$48.5 million (2011 est.)

$7.362 billion (2012 est.)

$6.791 billion (2011 est.)

oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns

Australia 31.5%, Japan 7%, China 6.2% (2011)

$5.269 billion (2012 est.)

$4.07 billion (2011 est.)

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals

Australia 36.9%, Singapore 14.1%, Malaysia 9.1%, China 7%, Japan 5%, Indonesia 4.7%, US 4.7% (2011)

$5.207 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$4.323 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$4.86 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$5.144 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

kina (PGK) per US dollar -

3.331 billion kWh (2009 est.)

3.098 billion kWh (2009 est.)

700,000 kW (2009 est.)

61.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

30.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

30,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

15,100 bbl/day (2009 est.)

170 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

16,080 bbl/day (2008 est.)

36,320 bbl/day (2011 est.)

3,536 bbl/day (2008 est.)

7,201 bbl/day (2008 est.)

110 million cu m (2010 est.)

155.3 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

5.306 million Mt (2010 est.)

2 TV stations, 1 commercial station operating since the late 1980s and 1 state-run station launched in 2008; satellite and cable TV services are available; state-run National Broadcasting Corporation operates 3 radio networks with multiple repeaters and about 20 provincial stations; several commercial radio stations with multiple transmission points as well as several community stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are accessible (2009)

Kimbe, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Wewak

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes Maritime Operations Element, Air Operations Element) (2009)

16 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; graduation from grade 12 required (2012)

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists

major consumer of cannabis