Papua New Guinea Country Facts

 

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs                                      
October 2007                                                                  
                                                                       
  Background Note: Papua New Guinea Country Facts                                            
                                                 
  Detail of funerary pole from Papua                                          
  New Guinea, June 19, 2006. [© AP                                            
  Images]                                                                     
                                                                       
  Papua New Guinea flag: divided diagonally from upper left corner. Upper     
  triangle: red with a yellow bird of paradise; lower triangle: black with    
  Southern Cross constellation-5 white, 5-pointed stars.                      
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Independent State of Papua New Guinea                                       
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Land area: 462,860 sq. km.; about the size of California.                   
  Cities: Capital--Port Moresby (254,158). Other cities--Lae (78,038), Mt.    
  Hagen (27,789).                                                             
  Terrain: Mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills. The  
  largest portion of the population lives in fertile highlands valleys that   
  were unknown to the outside world until the 1930s, but that supported       
  agriculture some 10,000 years ago, possibly before agriculture was developed
  elsewhere.                                                                  
  Climate: Tropical. NW monsoon, Dec.-Mar.; SE monsoon, May-Oct.              
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Population (2005 est.): 5.8 million.                                        
  Annual growth rate: 3.1%.                                                   
  Languages: Three official: English, Tok Pisin, and Motu. There are          
  approximately 860 other languages.                                          
  Education: Years compulsory--0. Literacy--57.3%                             
  Health: Infant mortality rate--68.4/1,000. Life expectancy--56.0 yrs.       
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy.                 
  Constitution: September 16, 1975.                                           
  Branches: Executive--British monarch (chief of state), represented by       
  governor general; prime minister (head of government).                      
  Legislative--unicameral parliament. Judicial--independent; highest is Supreme
  Court.                                                                      
  Administrative subdivisions: 19 provinces and the national capital district 
  (Port Moresby).                                                             
  Major political parties: National Alliance (NA), People's Progress Party    
  (PPP), Pangu Pati, People's Democratic Movement (PDM), and Melanesian       
  Alliance (MA).                                                              
  Suffrage: Universal over 18 years of age.                                   
                                                                       
  Economy (2005 est.)                                                         
  Nominal GDP: U.S. $4.94 billion.                                            
  Growth rate: 3.7%.                                                          
  Per capita GDP: U.S. $855.                                                  
  Natural resources: Gold, copper ore, oil, natural gas, timber, fish.        
  Agriculture (38% of GDP): Major products--coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm oil,
  timber, tea, vanilla.                                                       
  Industry (25% of GDP): Major sectors--copra crushing; palm oil processing;  
  plywood production; wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper;
  construction; tourism; crude oil production.                                
  Trade: Exports--66% of GDP: gold, copper ore, oil, timber, palm oil, coffee.
  Major markets--Australia, Japan, China, Germany, U.K., Indonesia.           
  Imports--31% of GDP: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, 
  food, fuels, chemicals. Major suppliers--Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, 
  China, Japan, Malaysia.                                                     
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  The indigenous population of Papua New Guinea is one of the most            
  heterogeneous in the world. Papua New Guinea has several thousand separate  
  communities, most with only a few hundred people. Divided by language,      
  customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in low-scale 
  tribal conflict with their neighbors for millennia. The advent of modern    
  weapons and modern migration into urban areas has greatly magnified the     
  impact of this lawlessness.                                                 
                                                                       
  The isolation created by the mountainous terrain is so great that some      
  groups, until recently, were unaware of the existence of neighboring groups 
  only a few kilometers away. The diversity, reflected in a folk saying, "For 
  each village, a different culture," is perhaps best shown in the local      
  languages. Spoken mainly on the island of New Guinea--composed of Papua New 
  Guinea and the Indonesian province of West Papua--some 800 of these languages
  have been identified; of these, only 350-450 are related. The remainder seem
  to be totally unrelated either to each other or to the other major groupings.
  Most native languages are spoken by a few hundred to a few thousand, although
  Enga, used in part of the highlands, is spoken by some 130,000 people.      
  However, the Enga people are subdivided into clans that regularly conflict  
  with each other. Many native languages are extremely complex grammatically. 
                                                                       
  Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca. English is spoken by educated
  people and in Milne Bay Province. The overall population density is low,    
  although pockets of overpopulation exist. Papua New Guinea's Western Province
  averages one person per square kilometer (3 per sq. mi.). The Chimbu Province
  in the New Guinea highlands averages 20 persons per square kilometer (60 per
  sq. mi.) and has areas containing up to 200 people farming a square kilometer
  of land. The highlands are home to 40% of the population.                   
                                                                       
  A considerable urban drift toward Port Moresby and other major centers has  
  occurred in recent years. The trend toward urbanization accelerated in the  
  1990s, bringing in its wake squatter settlements, ethnic disputes,          
  unemployment, and attendant social problems, especially violent crime.      
                                                                       
  Approximately 96% of the population is Christian. The churches with the     
  largest number of members are the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical    
  Lutheran Church, the United Church, and the Seventh Day Adventist church.   
  Although the major churches are under indigenous leadership, a large number 
  of missionaries remain in the country. The bulk of the estimated 2,000      
  Americans resident in Papua New Guinea are missionaries and their families. 
  The non-Christian portion of the indigenous population, as well as a portion
  of the nominal Christians, practices a wide variety of religions that are an
  integral part of traditional culture, mainly animism (spirit worship) and   
  ancestor cults.                                                             
                                                                       
  Foreign residents comprise about 1% of the population. More than half are   
  Australian; others are from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Philippines,
  and the United States, most of whom are missionaries. Since independence,   
  about 900 foreigners have become naturalized citizens.                      
                                                                       
  Though cultures vary widely, traditional Papua New Guinea social structures 
  generally include the following characteristics:                            
                                                                       
    * The practice of subsistence economy;                                    
    * Recognition of bonds of kinship with obligations extending beyond the   
      immediate family group;                                                 
    * Generally egalitarian relationships with an emphasis on acquired, rather
      than inherited, status; and                                             
    * A strong attachment of the people to land, which is held communally.    
      Traditional communities do not recognize a permanent transfer of        
      ownership when land is sold.                                            
    * Though land and other possessions may be inherited through the female   
      line in some cultures, women generally are considered and treated as    
      inferiors. Gender violence is endemic.                                  
    * Patterns and frequency of sexual activity, though never publicly        
      discussed, contribute to the current rapid spread of HIV.               
                                                                       
  Most Papua New Guineans still adhere strongly to this traditional social    
  structure, which has its roots in village life.                             
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  Archeological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 
  60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an Ice Age     
  period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. Although
  the first arrivals were hunters and gatherers, early evidence shows that    
  people managed the forest environment to provide food. There also are       
  indications of gardening having been practiced at the same time that        
  agriculture was developing in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Early garden crops--many
  of which are indigenous--included sugarcane, Pacific bananas, yams, and     
  taros, while sago and pandanus were two commonly exploited native forest    
  crops. Today's staples--sweet potatoes and pigs--were later arrivals, but   
  shellfish and fish have long been mainstays of coastal dwellers' diets.     
                                                                       
  When Europeans first arrived, inhabitants of New Guinea and nearby          
  islands--while still relying on bone, wood, and stone tools--had a productive
  agricultural system. They traded along the coast, where products mainly were
  pottery, shell ornaments, and foodstuffs, and in the interior, where forest 
  products were exchanged for shells and other sea products.                  
                                                                       
  The first Europeans to sight New Guinea were probably the Portuguese and    
  Spanish navigators sailing in the South Pacific in the early part of the 16th
  century. In 1526-27, Don Jorge de Meneses accidentally came upon the        
  principal island and is credited with naming it "Papua," a Malay word for the
  frizzled quality of Melanesian hair. The term "New Guinea" was applied to the
  island in 1545 by a Spaniard, Íñigo Ortiz de Retes, because of a fancied    
  resemblance between the islands' inhabitants and those found on the African 
  Guinea coast. Although European navigators visited the islands and explored 
  their coastlines for the next 170 years, little was known of the inhabitants
  until the late 19th century.                                                
                                                                       
  New Guinea                                                                  
  With Europe's growing need for coconut oil, Godeffroy's of Hamburg, the     
  largest trading firm in the Pacific, began trading for copra in the New     
  Guinea Islands. In 1884, Germany formally took possession of the northeast  
  quarter of the island and put its administration in the hands of a chartered
  company. In 1899, the German imperial government assumed direct control of  
  the territory, thereafter known as German New Guinea. In 1914, Australian   
  troops occupied German New Guinea, and it remained under Australian military
  control until 1921. The British Government, on behalf of the Commonwealth of
  Australia, assumed a mandate from the League of Nations for governing the   
  Territory of New Guinea in 1920. That mandate was administered by the       
  Australian Government until the Japanese invasion in December 1941 brought  
  about its suspension. Following the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, civil
  administration of Papua as well as New Guinea was restored, and under the   
  Papua New Guinea Provisional Administration Act, 1945-46, Papua and New     
  Guinea were combined in an administrative union.                            
                                                                       
  Papua                                                                       
  On November 6, 1884, a British protectorate was proclaimed over the southern
  coast of New Guinea (the area called Papua) and its adjacent islands. The   
  protectorate, called British New Guinea, was annexed outright on September 4,
  1888. The possession was placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of  
  Australia in 1902. Following the passage of the Papua Act of 1905, British  
  New Guinea became the Territory of Papua, and formal Australian             
  administration began in 1906. Papua was administered under the Papua Act    
  until the Japanese invaded the northern parts of the islands in 1941 and    
  began to advance on Port Moresby and civil administration was suspended.    
  During the war, Papua was governed by a military administration from Port   
  Moresby, where Gen. Douglas MacArthur occasionally made his headquarters. As
  noted, it was later joined in an administrative union with New Guinea during
  1945-46 following the surrender of Japan.                                   
                                                                       
  Postwar Developments                                                        
  The Papua and New Guinea Act of 1949 formally approved the placing of New   
  Guinea under the international trusteeship system and confirmed the         
  administrative union of New Guinea and Papua under the title of "The        
  Territory of Papua and New Guinea." The act provided for a Legislative      
  Council (established in 1951), a judicial organization, a public service, and
  a system of local government. A House of Assembly replaced the Legislative  
  Council in 1963, and the first House of Assembly opened on June 8, 1964. In 
  1972, the name of the territory was changed to Papua New Guinea.            
                                                                       
  Elections in 1972 resulted in the formation of a ministry headed by Chief   
  Minister Michael Somare, who pledged to lead the country to self-government 
  and then to independence. Papua New Guinea became self-governing in December
  1973 and achieved independence on September 16, 1975. The 1977 national     
  elections confirmed Michael Somare as Prime Minister at the head of a       
  coalition led by the Pangu Party. However, his government lost a vote of    
  confidence in 1980 and was replaced by a new cabinet headed by Sir Julius   
  Chan as Prime Minister. The 1982 elections increased Pangu's plurality, and 
  parliament again chose Somare as Prime Minister. In November 1985, the Somare
  government lost a vote of no confidence, and the parliamentary majority     
  elected Paias Wingti, at the head of a five-party coalition, as Prime       
  Minister. A coalition, headed by Wingti, was victorious in very close       
  elections in July 1987. In July 1988, a no-confidence vote toppled Wingti and
  brought to power Rabbie Namaliu, who a few weeks earlier had replaced Somare
  as leader of the Pangu Party.                                               
                                                                       
  Such reversals of fortune and a revolving-door succession of prime ministers
  have characterized Papua New Guinea's national politics. From 1988 to 2002, 
  the country had numerous prime ministers. A plethora of political parties,  
  coalition governments, shifting party loyalties, and motions of no confidence
  in the leadership all lent an air of instability to political proceedings.  
  For the first 27 years of independence, a "first past the post" electoral   
  system resulted in many parliamentarians elected with less than 15% of their
  constituency. Fractious politics and a 75% loss rate for incumbents precluded
  the development of strong political parties or a stable national leadership.
  Many hope that limited preferential voting, introduced in 2003, and an      
  organic law on political parties will stabilize national politics.          
                                                                       
  In the 2002 elections, virtually the entire previous cabinet lost their     
  seats. The government was formed by a coalition of several parties, and Sir 
  Michael Somare, the leader of the National Alliance (and the nation's first 
  Prime Minister in 1975), was elected Prime Minister. The 2007 elections     
  returned Somare as Prime Minister. His government was the first to complete a
  5-year term since independence.                                             
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  Papua New Guinea, a constitutional monarchy, recognizes the Queen of England
  as head of state. She is represented by a Governor General who is elected by
  parliament and who performs mainly ceremonial functions. Papua New Guinea has
  three levels of government--national, provincial, and local. There is a     
  109-member unicameral parliament, whose members are elected every 5 years.  
  The parliament in turn elects the prime minister, who appoints his cabinet  
  from members of his party or coalition.                                     
                                                                       
  Members of parliament are elected from 19 provinces and the national capital
  district of Port Moresby. Parliament introduced reforms in June 1995 to     
  change the provincial government system, with regional (at-large) members of
  parliament becoming provincial governors, while retaining their national    
  seats in parliament.                                                        
                                                                       
  Papua New Guinea's judiciary is independent of the government. It protects  
  constitutional rights and interprets the laws. There are several levels,    
  culminating in the Supreme Court.                                           
                                                                       
  Papua New Guinea's politics are highly competitive with most members elected
  on a personal and ethnic basis within their constituencies rather than as a 
  result of party affiliation. Members of parliament are now elected in a     
  limited preferential voting (LPV) system. There are several parties, but    
  party allegiances are not strong. Winning candidates are usually courted in 
  efforts to forge the majority needed to form a government, and allegiances  
  are fluid. No single party has yet won enough seats to form a government in 
  its own right.                                                              
                                                                       
  Papua New Guinea has a history of changes in government coalitions and      
  leadership from within parliament during the 5-year intervals between       
  national elections. New governments are protected by law from votes of no   
  confidence for the first 18 months of their incumbency, and no votes of no  
  confidence may be moved in the 12 months preceding a national election. In an
  effort to create greater stability by reducing incessant votes of no        
  confidence, the Integrity of Political Parties Act was passed in 1999,      
  forbidding members of each party in parliament from shifting loyalty to     
  another party.                                                              
                                                                       
  In 2003, the electoral system was changed to limited preferential voting,   
  which many hope will encourage politicians to strike alliances and to be    
  responsive to constituent concerns once elected. The new system was first   
  used in a 2004 by-election with modest, but positive results.               
                                                                       
  On Bougainville Island, a 10-year rebellion was halted by a truce in 1997 and
  a permanent cease-fire was signed in April 1998. A peace agreement between  
  the Government and ex-combatants was signed in August 2001. Under the eyes of
  a regional peace-monitoring force and a UN observer mission, the government 
  and provincial leaders established an interim administration and made       
  significant progress toward complete surrender/destruction of weapons. A    
  constitution was drafted in 2004 and provincial government elections were   
  held in May 2005. The elections were deemed to be free and fair by          
  international observers, and Joseph Kabui was elected to serve as the first 
  president of the Autonomous Bougainville Government.                        
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  Governor General--Sir Paulias Matane                                        
  Prime Minister--Sir Michael Somare                                          
  Deputy Prime Minister--Puka Temu                                            
  Foreign Minister--Samuel Abal                                               
  Ambassador to the United Nations--Robert Aisi                               
  Ambassador to the United States--Evan Paki                                  
                                                                       
  Papua New Guinea maintains an embassy at 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW,        
  Washington, DC 20036 (tel. 202-745-3680; fax 202-745-3679). The Papua New   
  Guinea mission to the United Nations is at 801 Second Avenue, New York, NY  
  10017 (tel. 212-682-6447).                                                  
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  Papua New Guinea is rich in natural resources, including minerals, timber,  
  and fish, and produces a variety of commercial agricultural products. The   
  economy generally can be separated into subsistence and market sectors,     
  although the distinction is blurred by smallholder cash cropping of coffee, 
  cocoa, and copra. About 75% of the country's population relies primarily on 
  the subsistence economy. The minerals, timber, and fish sectors are dominated
  by foreign investors.                                                       
                                                                       
  Manufacturing is limited, and the formal labor sector consequently also is  
  limited. High commodity prices in 2005 continued to lift both sectors after 
  several years of declines.                                                  
                                                                       
  Mineral Resources                                                           
  Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with gold, copper, oil, natural gas, and 
  other minerals. In 2005 mineral export receipts accounted for 49.7% of GDP. 
  Government revenues and foreign exchange earnings depend heavily on mineral 
  exports. Indigenous landowners in areas affected by minerals projects also  
  receive royalties from those operations. Copper and gold mines are currently
  in production at Porgera, Ok Tedi, Misima, and Lihir. A consortium led by   
  Exxon/Mobil hopes to begin the commercialization of the country's estimated 
  22.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves through the construction of
  a liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility. Interoil, an             
  American-owned firm, opened Papua New Guinea's first oil refinery in 2004. It
  has the capacity to produce 30,000 barrels of product a day.                
                                                                       
  Agriculture, Timber, and Fish                                               
  Papua New Guinea also produces and exports valuable agricultural, timber, and
  marine products. Agriculture currently accounts for 30.4% of GDP and supports
  more than 85% of the population. Cash crops ranked by value are coffee, oil,
  cocoa, copra, tea, rubber, and sugar. About 40% of the country is covered   
  with exploitable trees, but a domestic woodworking industry has been slow to
  develop. A number of Southeast Asian companies are active in the timber     
  industry, but World Bank and other donors have withdrawn support from the   
  sector over concern for unregulated deforestation and environmental damage. 
  Recently enacted forestry legislation has exacerbated those concerns. Papua 
  New Guinea has an active tuna industry, but much of the catch is made by    
  boats of other nations fishing in Papua New Guinea waters under license.    
  Papua New Guinea is a signatory to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT),    
  under which U.S. purse seiners fish for tuna in the exclusive economic zones
  (EEZs) of the Pacific Island parties. Locally produced fish exports are     
  confined primarily to shrimp.                                               
                                                                       
  Industry                                                                    
  In general, the Papua New Guinea economy is highly dependent on imports for 
  manufactured goods. Its industrial sector--exclusive of mining--accounts for
  only 9% of GDP and contributes little to exports. Small-scale industries    
  produce beer, soap, concrete products, clothing, paper products, matches, ice
  cream, canned meat, fruit juices, furniture, plywood, and paint. The small  
  domestic market, relatively high wages, and high transport costs are        
  constraints to industrial development.                                      
                                                                       
  Trade and Investment                                                        
  Australia, Singapore, and Japan are the principal exporters to Papua New    
  Guinea. Petroleum and mining machinery and aircraft have been the strongest 
  U.S. exports to Papua New Guinea.                                           
                                                                       
  Australia is Papua New Guinea's most important export market, followed by   
  Japan and the European Union. The U.S. imports modest amounts of gold, copper
  ore, cocoa, coffee, and other agricultural products from Papua New Guinea.  
  Most of those exports take place through third countries.                   
                                                                       
  With the 2003 withdrawal of Chevron/Texaco, Australian companies are the most
  active in developing Papua New Guinea's mining and petroleum sectors. Exxon/
  Mobil retains a major share of natural gas reserves and is currently        
  exploring the feasibility of building a liquefied natural gas processing    
  facility. Interoil, an American-owned firm backed by an Overseas Private    
  Investment Corporation (OPIC) loan, operates an oil refinery in Port Moresby.
  China is increasing its investment in Papua New Guinea, including development
  of the $1 billion Ramu nickel mine.                                         
                                                                       
  Papua New Guinea became a participating economy in the Asia-Pacific Economic
  Cooperation (APEC) Forum in 1993. It joined the World Trade Organization    
  (WTO) in 1996. It is an observer at ASEAN and a member of the ASEAN Regional
  Forum.                                                                      
                                                                       
  Development Programs and Aid                                                
  Australia is by far the largest bilateral aid donor to Papua New Guinea,    
  offering about $300 million a year in assistance. Budgetary support, which  
  has been provided in decreasing amounts since independence, was phased out in
  2000, with aid concentrated on project development. In 2004, Australia and  
  Papua New Guinea embarked on the Enhanced Cooperation Program (ECP), under  
  which Australia agreed to provide direct assistance, including 210 line     
  police officers, to the Papua New Guinea constabulary. The ECP met with     
  initial success, but was abruptly ended when Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court
  stripped Australian police officers of immunity in May 2005. Virtually all  
  ECP personnel left Papua New Guinea following the court's decision. The     
  governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia are now involved in protracted
  negotiations on a scaled-down version of the ECP.                           
                                                                       
  Other major sources of aid to Papua New Guinea are Japan, the European Union,
  the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, the United Nations, the Asian       
  Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.      
  Volunteers from a number of countries and mission church workers also provide
  education, health, and development assistance throughout the country. Foreign
  assistance to Papua New Guinea is approximately $46 per capita. The U.S.    
  funds a $1.5 million-per-year HIV/AIDS project in Papua New Guinea.         
                                                                       
  Current Economic Conditions                                                 
  After years of decline and government deficit, Papua New Guinea was bolstered
  in recent years by a general rise in commodity prices and by government steps
  toward spending control. The economy continues to grow modestly and the     
  government recorded a modest surplus in 2006. However, the economic         
  improvements are based almost entirely on high commodity prices and the     
  nation continues to have serious problems of corruption, a lack of law and  
  order, land tenure concerns stifling investment, political interference in  
  business, and a lack of political will to adopt needed sweeping reforms.    
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  Papua New Guinea's foreign policy reflects close ties with Australia and    
  other traditional allies. Papua New Guinea is by far the largest Pacific    
  Island nation and has traditionally viewed itself as part of the Pacific.   
  However, in recent years it has also been cultivating relations with Asian  
  nations. Its views on international political and economic issues are       
  generally moderate. Papua New Guinea has diplomatic relations with 56       
  countries.                                                                  
                                                                       
  U.S.-PAPUA NEW GUINEA RELATIONS                                             
  The United States and Papua New Guinea established diplomatic relations upon
  the latter's independence on September 16, 1975. The two nations belong to a
  variety of regional organizations, including the Asia-Pacific Economic      
  Cooperation (APEC) forum; the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF); the Secretariat of
  the Pacific Community (SPC); and the South Pacific Regional Environmental   
  Program (SPREP).                                                            
                                                                       
  One of the most successful cooperative multilateral efforts linking the U.S.
  and Papua New Guinea is the U.S.-Pacific Islands Multilateral Tuna Fisheries
  Treaty, under which the U.S. grants $18 million per year to Pacific Island  
  parties and the latter provide access for U.S. fishing vessels. The United  
  States has provided significant humanitarian assistance to Papua New Guinea 
  and contributed to the rehabilitation of Bougainville. USAID funds a $1.5   
  million-per-year HIV/AIDS project in Papua New Guinea.                      
                                                                       
  The U.S. also supports Papua New Guinea's efforts to protect biodiversity.  
  The U.S. Government supports the International Coral Reef Initiative aimed at
  protecting reefs in tropical nations such as Papua New Guinea. U.S. military
  forces, through Pacific Command (PACOM) in Honolulu, Hawaii, provide training
  to the Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF) and have held small-scale joint
  training exercises. The U.S. provides police and other education and training
  courses to national security officials. The U.S. also annually sponsors a   
  handful of PNG officials and private citizens to meet and confer with their 
  professional counterparts and to experience the U.S. first-hand through the 
  International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).                            
                                                                       
  The U.S. Peace Corps ceased operations in Papua New Guinea in 2001 due to   
  security concerns. About 2,000 U.S. citizens live in Papua New Guinea, with 
  major concentrations at the headquarters of New Tribes Mission and the Summer
  Institute of Linguistics, both located in the Eastern Highlands Province.   
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Embassy Officials                                            
  Ambassador--Leslie Rowe                                                     
  Deputy Chief of Mission--Thomas Weinz                                       
  Consular Officer--Leslie Livingood                                          
                                                                       
  The U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea is located on Douglas Street, Port     
  Moresby (tel. 675-321-1455; fax 675-321-3423). The mailing address is 4240  
  Port Moresby Pl., U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-4240.      
                                                                       
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  a.m. to 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.           
                                                                       
  Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for 
  Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP
  (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the
  most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements,
  and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A   
  booklet entitled "Health Information for International Travel" (HHS         
  publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government       
  Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.                 
                                                                       
  Further Electronic Information                                              
  Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://          
  www.state.gov, the Department of State web site provides timely, global     
  access to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background    
  Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key officers of 
  Foreign Service posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
  provides security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies  
  working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov                      
                                                                       
  Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and market    
  information offered by the federal government and provides trade leads, free
  export counseling, help with the export process, and more.                  
  STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides   
  authoritative economic, business, and international trade information from  
  the Federal government. The site includes current and historical            
  trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, 
  and country analysis and provides access to the National Trade Data Bank.   

 

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See http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/ for all Background notes
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