Overview:
Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but
exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost
of developing an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence
livelihood for 85% of the population. Mining of numerous deposits,
including copper and gold, accounts for about 60% of export earnings.
Budgetary support from Australia and development aid under World Bank
auspices have helped sustain the economy. Robust growth in 1991-92 was
led by the mining sector; the opening of a large new gold mine helped
the advance. The economy remained strong in 1993, primarily because of
continued growth in the mining and oil sectors.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $8.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1.2% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$2,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (1992-93)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$1.33 billion
expenditures:
$1.49 billion, including capital expenditures of $225 million (1993
est.)
Exports:
$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
gold, copper ore, oil, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, lobster
partners:
Australia, Japan, South Korea, UK, US
Imports:
$1.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels,
chemicals
partners:
Australia, Japan, US, Singapore, New Zealand, UK
External debt:
$2.2 billion (April 1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 21% (1992); accounts for 31% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
400,000 kW
production:
1.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
400 kWh (1992)
Industries:
copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip
production, mining of gold, silver, and copper, construction, tourism
Agriculture:
Accounts for 28% of GDP; livelihood for 85% of population; fertile
soils and favorable climate permits cultivating a wide variety of
crops; cash crops - coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels; other
products - tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry,
pork; net importer of food for urban centers
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $40.6 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $6.5
billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $17 million
Currency:
1 kina (K) = 100 toea
Exchange rates:
kina (K) per US$1 - 1.0281 (January 1994), 1.0221 (1993), 1.0367
(1992), 1.0504 (1991), 1.0467 (1990), 1.1685 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Papua New Guinea, Communications
Railroads:
none
Highways:
total:
19,200 km
paved:
640 km
unpaved:
gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 10,960 km; unimproved earth
7,600 km
Inland waterways:
10,940 km
Ports:
Anewa Bay, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul
Merchant marine:
11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,337 GRT/25,669 DWT, bulk 2,
cargo 3, combination ore/oil 5, container 1
Airports:
total:
504
usable:
462
with permanent-surface runways:
18
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
39
Telecommunications:
services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide
radiobroadcast, radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio,
aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services;
submarine cables extend to Australia and Guam; more than 70,000
telephones (1987); broadcast stations - 31 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV (1987); 1
Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
@Papua New Guinea, Defense Forces
Branches:
Papua New Guinea Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air Force)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,080,316; fit for military service 601,369
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $55 million, 1.8% of GDP (1993 est.)
@Paracel Islands, Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, 400 km east of Vietnam in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way between Vietnam and the Philippines Map references: Asia Area: total area: NA sq km land area: NA sq km comparative area: NA Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 518 km Maritime claims: NA International disputes: occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam Climate: tropical Terrain: NA Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100% Irrigated land: 0 sq km Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: subject to typhoons international agreements: NA
@Paracel Islands, People
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are scattered Chinese
garrisons
@Paracel Islands, Government