HIV/AIDS - deaths:
600 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2007)
Nationality: noun: Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean
Ethnic groups:
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 10%, indigenous beliefs
34%
Languages:
Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by
1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's
total)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.6%
male: 71.1%
female: 57.7% (2002)
Government Papua New Guinea
Country name:
conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
local short form: Papuaniugini
former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea
abbreviation: PNG
Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy