Anglican Church

Papua New Guinea

GEOGRAPHY:

Location:

Southeastern Asia

Area:

total area: 462,840 sq km

land area: 452,860 sq km

Capital city:

Port Moresby

Natural Resources:

Gold, silver, copper, natural gas, timber, oil potential

PEOPLE:

Population:

Approx 5 Million

Age structure:

0-14 years: 40%

15-64 years: 57%

65 years & over: 3%

Literacy rate:

72.2% of total population, (males: 81%, females: 62.7%)

Languages:

English, pidgin English, Motu, 700+ indigenous languages

Religions:

22%- Roman Catholic,

16%-Lutheran,

8%-Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society,

5%-Anglican,

4%-Evangelican Alliance,

1%-Seventh-Day Adventist,

10%-other Protestant sects,

34%-indigenous beliefs

VITAL STATISTICS:

Birth rate:

32.65 (per 1,000 population) (1997)

Death rate:

9.83 (per 1,000 population)

Infant mortality rate:

58.6 (deaths per 1,000 live births)

Fertility rate:

4.36 (per woman)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 57.65 (males: 56.78, females: 58.56)

GOVERNMENT:

Type of government:

Parliamentary Democracy

Independence:

September 16, 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)

Leaders:

chief of state: Queen Elizabeth II represented by Governor General Silas Atopare

head of government: Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta

ECONOMY:

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $10.7 billion (1996)

GDP real growth rate: 2.3%

GDP per capita: $2,400

Inflation Rate (consumer prices):

6% (1996)

National budget:

revenues: $1.5 billion

expenditures: $1.35 billion

External debt:

$3.2 billion

Currency:

1 kina = 100 toea

Labor Force:

1.941 million

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Agriculture:

Coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables; poultry, pork

Industries:

Copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, copper; construction, tourism

Exports:

$2.7 billion

commodities: Gold, copper ore, oil, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, lobster

Imports:

$1.3 billion

commodities: Machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals

DEFENSE:

Defense expenditures:

Exchange rate conversion - $63 million, NA% of GDP