rctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94

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

People
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Population: 4,394,537 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (male 906,709; female 860,534)
15-64 years: 57% (male 1,303,084; female 1,195,245)
65 years and over: 3% (male 59,513; female 69,452) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.29% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 32.93 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 10.01 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.07 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 60.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.25 years
male: 56.4 years
female: 58.15 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.45 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Papua New Guinean(s)
adjective: Papua New Guinean

Ethnic divisions: 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
sects 10%, indigenous beliefs 34%

Languages: English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread,
Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 72.2%
male: 81%
female: 62.7%

Government
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Name of country:
conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
abbreviation: PNG

Data code: PP

Type of government: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Port Moresby

Administrative divisions: 20 provinces; Central, Chimbu, Eastern
Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus,
Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, North
Solomons, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Wes