Climate
Monsoonal/rainforest (hot, humid, with defined wet and dry seasons)
Forests
360,000 sq. km.
Coastline
5,152 km
Plant life
Approximately 15,000 species
 Animals
Includes
about 242 species of mammals, the world's largest butterfly
and 762
species of birds alone:
more parrot, pigeon and kingfisher species than anywhere else.
Over 95% of the land is owned by indigenous people and passed down from generation
to generation. One of the world's mega-diverse countries; one of three remaining
'major tropical wilderness areas' (other tropical areas are Congo forest and
Amazonia).
Politics/Economics
Full country name: The Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Government
Constitutional Monarchy with parliamentary democracy.
Prime
Minister
Michael Somare Capital
Port Moresby
Provinces
19 provinces, plus the National Capitol District (NCD)
Major Industries
Coffee, copper, gold, silver, copra crushing, palm oil processing,
logging
Major Trading Partners
Australia, Japan, USA
 Neighboring Countries
north - Federated States of Micronesia; east - Nauru and
Solomon Islands; south - Australia; west - Indonesia People
Population
5.2 million as of July, 2002
Population distribution
14.8% urban, 85.2% rural
Life expectancy
females, 66 years; males, 62 years
Ethnicity
95% Melanesian, 5% Polynesian, Micronesian, Chinese
Language
750 indigenous languages plus Pidgin and Motu, accounting for 1/3 of all the
world's indigenous languages
Religion
44% Protestant, 22% Catholic and 34% pantheistic beliefs
Staple foods
Bananas, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, taro and sago .
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Papua
New Guinea
