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Papua New Guinea flag
Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini
Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini
   Papua New Guinea consists of the eastern part of the almost homonymous island, as well as other islands and archipelagos east of the main one. It is the second largest country in Oceania after Australia, from which it is about a hundred kilometers away; the morphology of the main island led to a subdivision of the population into a large number of tribes, some of which still live very isolated from the outside world.
Government type Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Area 462,840 kmē (178,704 sq mi)
Population 12,530,000 inh. (2024 est.)
Population density 27 inh/kmē (70 inh/miē)
Capital Port Moresby (514,000 pop.)
Currency Papua New Guinean kina
Human development index 0.558 (156th place)
Languages English, Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin (all official)
Life expectancy M 64 years, F 70 years
Location in Oceania

Boundaries:

Indonesia WEST
Pacific Ocean NORTH, EAST and SOUTH

GEOGRAPHY DATA OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA


Largest cities
Port Moresby 514,000 pop.
Lae 149,000 pop.
Highest mountains
Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m (14,793 ft)
Mount Giluwe 4,367 m (14,327 ft)
Longest rivers
Sepik 1,126 km (700 mi) total, including a small section in Indonesia
Fly 1,050 km (652 mi), in the central part marks the border with Indonesia for a while
Largest lakes
Lake Murray 647 kmē (250 sq mi), in the rainy season its surface area can increase to over 3,000 kmē
Largest islands
New Guinea 785,753 kmē (303,381 sq mi) total, 372,500 kmē (143,823 sq mi) in Papua New Guinea
New Britain 35,145 kmē (13,570 sq mi)
Bougainville 9,318 kmē (3,598 sq mi)
New Ireland 7,404 kmē (2,859 sq mi)
Manus 1,940 kmē (749 sq mi)
Fergusson 1,437 kmē (555 sq mi)
New Hanover 1,186 kmē (458 sq mi)
Normanby 1,040 kmē (402 sq mi)

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

   Papua New Guinea is divided into 20 provinces, in addition to the capital district and the autonomous region of Bougainville; with just under one hundred thousand square kilometers, the western province is the largest, while Morobe is in first place for population and the only one above one million inhabitants.

   In the country there are only two real cities, the capital Port Moresby and Lae, while other 12 urban centers are in the range between 10,000 and 40,000 inhabitants; with the exception of Kimbe, located in New Britain and Daru, on the small island of the same name, all the remaining main cities and towns are located on the island of New Guinea.



Port Moresby



Useful links

National Statistical Office of Papua New Guinea
Visit Papua New Guinea