Papua New Guinea
Country in Oceania / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Papua New Guinea[lower-alpha 1] is a country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia (a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia). Officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea[13] (Tok Pisin: Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; Hiri Motu: Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), it shares its only land border with Indonesia to the west and it is directly adjacent to Australia to the south and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital, located along its southeastern coast, is Port Moresby. The country is the world's third largest island country, with an area of 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi).[14]
Independent State of Papua New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| Motto: 'Unity in diversity'[1] | |
| Anthem: "O Arise, All You Sons"[2] | |
 Location of Papua New Guinea (green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Port Moresby 09°28′44″S 147°08′58″E |
| Official languages[3][4] | |
Indigenous languages | 851 languages[5] |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2011 census)[6] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Papua New Guinean |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
| Bob Dadae | |
| James Marape | |
| Legislature | National Parliament |
| Independence from Australia | |
| 1 July 1949 | |
| 16 September 1975 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi) (54th) |
• Water (%) | 2 |
| Population | |
• 2021 estimate |  11,781,559[7] (81st) |
• 2011 census | 7,257,324[8] |
• Density | 15/km2 (38.8/sq mi) (201st) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $41.785 billion[9] (124th) |
• Per capita | $3,403[9] (145th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $31.692 billion[9] (110th) |
• Per capita |  $2,581[9] (129th) |
| Gini (2009) | 41.9[10] medium |
| HDI (2021) | 0.558[11] medium (156th) |
| Currency | Kina (PGK) |
| Time zone | UTC+10, +11 (PNGST) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +675 |
| ISO 3166 code | PG |
| Internet TLD | .pg |
At the national level, after being ruled by three external powers since 1883, including nearly 60 years of Australian administration starting during World War I, Papua New Guinea established its sovereignty in 1975, becoming an independent Commonwealth realm with Elizabeth II as its queen. Since Elizabeth II's death in 2022, Charles III has been the country's king. It is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in its own right.
There are 839 known languages of Papua New Guinea, making it the most linguistically diverse country in the world.[5] It is also one of the most rural countries, with only 13.25% of its population living in urban centres in 2019.[15] Most of its people live in customary communities.[16] Although government estimates reported the country's population to be 9.4 million, it was reported in December 2022 that its population was in fact closer to 17 million.[17][18] Papua New Guinea is the most populous Pacific island country.
The country is believed to be the home of many undocumented species of plants and animals.[19]
The sovereign state is classified as a developing economy by the International Monetary Fund;[20] nearly 40% of the population are subsistence farmers, living relatively independently of the cash economy.[21] Their traditional social groupings are explicitly acknowledged by the Papua New Guinea Constitution, which expresses the wish for "traditional villages and communities to remain as viable units of Papua New Guinean society"[22] and protects their continuing importance to local and national community life.
Papua New Guinea has been an observer state in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1976, and has filed its application for full membership status.[23] It is a full member of the Commonwealth of Nations,[24] the Pacific Community, and the Pacific Islands Forum.[25]