Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea A country consisting of the eastern half of the island of New Guinea north of Australia, together with the Bismarck Archipelago and other adjacent islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean. The western half of the island of New Guinea forms the province of Irian Jaya, part of INDONESIA.

Physical

The mainland is divided by a central range of mountains rising to 4509 m (14,762 feet) at Mount Wilhelm. A low-lying plain is drained by the Fly River in the south-west, and there are active volcanoes in the east. The climate is tropical and monsoonal.

Economy

Papua New Guinea exploits extensive copper and substantial gold deposits, and together these account for half of the country's exports. There are also petroleum reserves. Coffee, timber, cocoa, and palm oil are significant exports, and tropical fruits grow in abundance. Tuna-fishing is also important. Other agricultural products include bananas, coconuts, yams, and sugar cane. Industry is limited mainly to food-processing.

History

Contact with Europe goes back to the 16th century, when the Portuguese Jorge de Meneses named the island Ilhas dos Papuas (Malay, ‘frizzy-haired’) and the Spaniard Ortiz Retes christened it New Guinea because he was reminded of the Guinea coast of Africa. In 1828 the Dutch annexed the western half of the island, followed, in 1884, by the German and British division of the eastern half. In 1904 the British transferred their territory, now called Papua, to Australia, and at the outbreak of World War I an Australian expeditionary force seized German New Guinea (Kaiser-Wilhelmsland). During World War II Australian troops fought off a determined Japanese invasion. Formal administrative union of the area as Papua New Guinea was achieved in 1968. Self-government was attained in 1973 and in 1975 Papua New Guinea became an independent nation within the Commonwealth. A defence treaty with Australia was negotiated and democratic political activity, by graduates of the University of Port Moresby (founded 1965), quickly developed. Secessionist demands from some of the offshore islands, especially Bougainville, became a key issue facing the coalition government of Rabbie Namaliu (1990–92), troops being landed on Bougainville in May 1992. Namaliu's government was defeated in the 1992 general election and Paias Wingti was elected Prime Minister of another coalition government. During the early 1990s relations between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, which had been strained throughout the 1980s over the conflict in Irian Jaya, improved. In 1994 Wingti was forced from office and replaced by Julius Chan. Although a ceasefire was agreed between the government and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, subsequent peace talks broke down and fighting resumed. In 1997 the use of foreign mercenaries to suppress the rebellion led to a mutiny by the army and the resignation of Chan; Bill Skate replaced him as Prime Minister. In 1998 a permanent ceasefire was signed with the Bougainville Revolutionary Army. Severe drought and other natural disasters struck the country in 1997–98, possibly as a result of the effects of El Niño.

Capital:	Port Moresby
Area:	462,840 sq km (178,704 sq miles)
Population:	4,600,000 (1998 est)
Currency:	1 kina = 100 toea
Religions:	Protestant 58.4%; Roman Catholic 32.8%; Anglican 5.4%; traditional beliefs 2.5%; Baha'i 0.6%
Ethnic Groups:	Papuan 83.0%; Melanesian 15.0%
Languages:	English (official); Tok Pisin; about 700 Melanesian and Papuan languages and dialects
International Organizations:	UN; Commonwealth; Colombo Plan; South Pacific Forum; Observer status at ASEAN