Papua New Guinea (păp'ūə, –yūə, gĭn'ē) , officially Independent State of Papua New Guinea, independent Commonwealth nation (2005 est. pop. 5,545,000), 183,540 sq mi (475,369 sq km), SW Pacific. It encompasses the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, as well as the Bismarck Archipelago, the Trobriand Islands, Samarai Island, Woodlark Island, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago, and the northernmost Solomon Islands of Buka and Bougainville (which form an autonomous region). The capital is Port Moresby; other important cities include Rabaul, Lae, Madang, Mt. Hagen, and Goroka. The country is divided into 19 provinces and the national capital district, which are grouped into four regions.
Land, People, Economy, and Government
Papua New Guinea is a wild, rugged region, with limited communications. The climate is tropical, and the largely mountainous country is subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The native population is largely Melanesian and Papuan but is divided into many distinct cultures. Some 700 different languages are spoken in the region; pidgin English (Tok Pisin) is the lingua franca. About half the population is Christian, with Roman Catholics and Lutherans the largest sects; the rest follow traditional beliefs. Subsistence agriculture supports most of the population; sweet potatoes constitute the main food crop. Agricultural exports (notably coconut products, rubber, coffee, cocoa, tea, and refined palm oil products) are increasing, but mineral and oil deposits account for the majority of export earnings. Silver, copper, and gold are mined, oil production began in 1992, and there are undeveloped natural gas reserves. Timber is another import source of revenue; the rain forests of Papua New Guinea are filled with tropical timber. The logging, largely by foreign companies, is often done without regarded for laws designed to promote sustainable yields. Pearl-shell and tortoise fisheries dot the coast. The Univ. of Papua New Guinea opened in 1966. The nation has a parliamentary government with a governor-general, representing the British crown; a prime minister and cabinet; and a popularly elected unicameral parliament consisting of 109 members.
History
Papua, the southern section of the country, was annexed by Queensland in 1883 and the following year became a British protectorate called British New Guinea. It passed to Australia in 1905 as the Territory of Papua. The northern section of the country formed part of German New Guinea from 1884 to 1914 and was called Kaiser-Wilhelmsland. Occupied by Australian forces during World War I, it was mandated to Australia by the League of Nations in 1920 and became known as the Territory of New Guinea. Australian rule was reconfirmed by the United Nations in 1947.
In 1949 the territories of Papua and New Guinea were merged administratively, but they remained constitutionally distinct. They were combined in 1973 as the self-governing country of Papua New Guinea. Full independence was gained in 1975. In the late 1980s a violent secessionist movement broke out on Bougainville. A cease-fire, monitored by Australian troops, went into effect in 1998, and a peace accord that granted the island broad autonomy was signed three years later.
Proposed cuts in defense forces as result of economic reforms demanded by Australia and international organizations sparked a weeklong mutiny in 2001; the government rescinded the cuts and promised to review the mutineers' concerns over foreign economic influences. Sir Michael Somare, of the National Alliance party, has been prime minister since 2002. In 2004, Australian police officers were deployed in Papua New Guinea as part of an aid package designed to help end gang violence and restore law and order in the country, but after the supreme court ruled the following year that the officers' immunity from prosecution and other aspects of the deployment were unconstitutional Australia withdrew the contingent.
