Papua New Guinea

C

Natural Resources

The principal natural resources in Papua New Guinea are mineral resources, particularly copper, and those derived from the forests and seas. In addition to copper, minerals include chromite, cobalt, gold, nickel, and silver. Papua New Guinea also has reserves of petroleum and natural gas.

D

Climate

The climate of Papua New Guinea differs from place to place and from season to season, and is moderated by the mountains and seasonal monsoons. The lowland areas are generally hot and damp, while temperatures are cooler in mountainous areas. Temperatures average 27°C (81°F) in the lowlands and 20°C (68°F) in the highlands. Precipitation is generally heavy. Annual rainfall totals nearly 5,080 mm (200 in) in the Milne Bay region and about 5,840 mm (about 230 in) at the mouth of the Fly River. Port Moresby, which lies between these two points, is sheltered by the Owen Stanley Range and receives only about 1,145 mm (about 45 in) of rain annually.

Seasonal and regional climatic differences are partly caused by monsoons. Between May and August, during the country’s coolest season, the southeast monsoon brings rain to mainland areas and to New Britain’s southern coast. The rainiest areas on the mainland are the Gulf of Papua coast, the southern slopes of the central highlands, and the eastern tip of the Huon Peninsula north of Lae. Other mainland areas—including the coast near Port Moresby, the southwest coast, and the interior central highlands—are dry in these months. From January to April the northwest monsoon dominates the weather and climate, and the winds blow from the opposite direction. This is the wettest season in some northern areas. September to December is a period of variable weather. In the mountains of the central highlands, the normal wind and rain patterns change, giving certain valleys distinct climates of their own.

E

Environmental Issues

Like many developing nations, Papua New Guinea faces significant environmental problems. Gold and copper mining has polluted waterways with untreated heavy-metal runoff. This runoff is particularly a problem in the Fly River. Soil erosion is a problem in areas cleared for agricultural use. Papua New Guinea contains some of the least disturbed tropical forests in the world, but some destruction of forest areas has occurred. The annual rate of deforestation from 1990 to 2005 was 0.44 percent. A study reported in 2008, however, estimated that the deforestation rate was increasing at a pace of 1.4 percent annually. Using satellite photos, scientists concluded that logging was causing the loss of about 3,600 sq km (1,400 sq mi) of rain forest each year. At that rate the study predicted that more than half of Papua New Guinea’s total forest area would be cleared or badly degraded by 2021. In part because of the loss of forest habitat, 295 species in Papua New Guinea were threatened with extinction in 2004.

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Papua New Guinea is a poor country and environmental controls, which are costly, generally receive less attention than they do in developed nations. Still, the government is addressing some environmental issues. Concerns about deforestation, for example, prompted the government to cease issuing new logging permits for two years in the early 1990s. A forest conservation program is in force, and the government encourages ecotourism as a source of revenue. Papua New Guinea is party to international treaties concerning climate change, endangered species, marine dumping, ship pollution, tropical timber, and wetlands.

III

The People of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is part of Melanesia, a region of the Pacific populated by dark-skinned people, including Papuans and Melanesians.

A

Population and Principal Cities

Papua New Guinea’s estimated population in 2008 was 5,921,144 and the population density was 13 persons per sq km (34 per sq mi). More than four-fifths of the people live on the mainland.

Nearly the entire population belongs to the diverse Papuan or Melanesian ethnic groups, which are closely related. There is a small minority of whites (mostly Australian) and Asians (mostly Chinese). Most Papuans live in the mountainous interior and the southern section of the mainland. The Melanesians primarily live in the north and east of the mainland, and on the islands. The largest cities are Port Moresby, Lae, Madang, Wewak, and Goroka, but most of these are relatively small (only Port Moresby and Lae have more than 50,000 people). The population is predominantly rural, with only 13 percent of the population residing in urban areas.

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