market; transshipment point for
hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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Papua New Guinea

Introduction Papua New Guinea

Background: 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.

Geography Papua New Guinea

Location: Southeastern Asia, 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

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 147 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries: total: 820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km

Coastline: 5,152 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial
sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM

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

Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

Natural resources: gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil,
fisheries

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 1% other: 99% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

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

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

Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nucle