Part 45
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries: 6,774 km total; Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline: 1,046 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: boundary with India; Pashtun question with Afghanistan; Baloch question with Afghanistan and Iran; water sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Indus
Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain: flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited crude oil, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use: 26% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 4% forest and woodland; 64% other; includes 19% irrigated
Environment: frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August); deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water logging
Note: controls Khyber Pass and Malakand Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
- People Population: 114,649,406 (July 1990), growth rate 2.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 110 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 56 years male, 57 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Pakistani(s); adjective--Pakistani
Ethnic divisions: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendents)
Religion: 97% Muslim (77% Sunni, 20% Shia), 3% Christian, Hindu, and other
Language: Urdu and English (official); total spoken languages--64% Punjabi, 12% Sindhi, 8% Pashtu, 7% Urdu, 9% Balochi and other; English is lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries, but official policies are promoting its gradual replacement by Urdu
Literacy: 26%
Labor force: 28,900,000; 54% agriculture, 13% mining and manufacturing, 33% services; extensive export of labor (1987 est.)
Organized labor: about 10% of industrial work force
- Government Long-form name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Type: parliamentary with strong executive, federal republic
Capital: Islamabad
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces, 1 tribal area*, and 1 territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier, Punjab, Sindh; note--the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas
Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK; formerly West Pakistan)
Constitution: 10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored 30 December 1985
Legal system: based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's stature as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Pakistan Day (proclamation of the republic), 23 March (1956)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Legislature (Mijlis-e-Shoora) consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or National Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Federal Islamic (Shariat) Court
Leaders: Chief of State--President GHULAM ISHAQ Khan (since 13 December 1988);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Benazir BHUTTO (since 2 December 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto; Pakistan Muslim League (PML), former Prime Minister Mohammed Khan Junejo; PML is the main party in the anti-PPP Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA); Muhajir Quami Movement, Altaf Hussain; Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Islam (JUI), Fazlur Rahman; Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Qazi Hussain Ahmed; Awami National Party (ANP), Khan Abdul Wali Khan
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections: President--last held on 12 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--Ghulam Ishaq Khan was elected by the Federal Legislature;
Senate--last held March 1988 (next to be held March 1990); results--elected by provincial assemblies; seats--(87 total) PML 84, PPP 2, independent 1;
National Assembly--last held on 16 November 1988 (next to be held November 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(237 total) PPP 109, IJI 65, MQM 14, JUI 8, PAI 3, ANP 3, BNA 3, others 3, independents 29
Communists: the Communist party is no longer outlawed and operates openly
Other political or pressure groups: military remains dominant political force; ulema (clergy), industrialists, and small merchants also influential
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Zulfikar ALI KHAN; Chancery at 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6200; there is a Pakistani Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Robert B. OAKLEY; Embassy at Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad (mailing address is P. O. Box 1048, Islamabad); telephone [92] (51) 8261-61 through 79; there are US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, and a Consulate in Peshawar
Flag: green with a vertical white band on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
- Economy Overview: Pakistan is a poor Third World country faced with the usual problems of rapidly increasing population, sizable government deficits, and heavy dependence on foreign aid. In addition, the economy must support a large military establishment and provide for the needs of 4 million Afghan refugees. A real economic growth rate averaging 5-6% in recent years has enabled the country to cope with these problems. Almost all agriculture and small-scale industry is in private hands, and the government seeks to privatize a portion of the large-scale industrial enterprises now publicly owned. In December 1988, Pakistan signed a three-year economic reform agreement with the IMF, which provides for a reduction in the government deficit and a liberalization of trade in return for further IMF financial support. The so-called Islamization of the economy has affected mainly the financial sector; for example, a prohibition on certain types of interest payments. Pakistan almost certainly will make little headway against its population problem; at the current rate of growth, population would double in 32 years.
GNP: $43.2 billion, per capita $409; real growth rate 5.1% (FY89)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11% (FY89)
Unemployment rate: 4% (FY89 est.)
Budget: revenues $7.5 billion; expenditures $10.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.3 billion (FY89 est.)
Exports: $4.5 billion (f.o.b., FY89); commodities--rice, cotton, textiles, clothing; partners--EC 31%, US 11%, Japan 11% (FY88)
Imports: $7.2 billion (f.o.b., FY89); commodities--petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, transportation, equipment, vegetable oils, animal fats, chemicals; partners--EC 26%, Japan 15%, US 11% (FY88)
External debt: $17.4 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 3% (FY89)
Electricity: 7,575,000 kW capacity; 29,300 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles, food processing, beverages, petroleum products, construction materials, clothing, paper products, international finance, shrimp
Agriculture: 24% of GNP, over 50% of labor force; world's largest contiguous irrigation system; major crops--cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables; livestock products--milk, beef, mutton, eggs; self-sufficient in food grain
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; government eradication efforts on poppy cultivation of limited success; 1988 output of opium and hashish each estimated at about 200 metric tons
Aid: (including Bangladesh before 1972) US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $4.2 billion authorized (excluding what is now Bangladesh); Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $7.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.9 billion
Currency: Pakistani rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa
Exchange rates: Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1--21.420 (January 1990), 20.541 (1989), 18.003 (1988), 17.399 (1987), 16.648 (1986), 15.928 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 8,773 km total; 7,718 km broad gauge, 445 km meter gauge, and 610 km narrow gauge; 1,037 km broad-gauge double track; 286 km electrified; all government owned (1985)
Highways: 101,315 km total (1987); 40,155 km paved, 23,000 km gravel, 29,000 km improved earth, and 9,160 km unimproved earth or sand tracks (1985)
Pipelines: 250 km crude oil; 4,044 km natural gas; 885 km refined products (1987)
Ports: Gwadar, Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim
Merchant marine: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 338,173 GRT/508,107 DWT; includes 4 passenger-cargo, 24 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
Civil air: 30 major transport aircraft
Airports: 115 total, 102 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 42 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good international radiocommunication service over microwave and INTELSAT satellite; domestic radio communications poor; broadcast service good; 564,500 telephones (1987); stations--16 AM, 8 FM, 16; satellite eath station--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Civil Armed Forces, National Guard
Military manpower: males 15-49, 26,215,898; 16,080,545 fit for military service; 1,282,294 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 5.6% of GNP, or $2.4 billion (1989 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Palmyra Atoll (territory of the US) - Geography Total area: 11.9 km2; land area: 11.9 km2
Comparative area: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 14.5 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: equatorial, hot, and very rainy
Terrain: low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters
Natural resources: none
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 100% forest and woodland; 0% other
Environment: about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall
Note: located 1,600 km south-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, almost halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa
- People Population: uninhabited
- Government Long-form name: none
Type: unincorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior
- Economy Overview: no economic activity
- Communications Ports: none; offshore anchorage in West Lagoon
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of the US ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Panama - Geography Total area: 78,200 km2; land area: 75,990 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: 555 km total; Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline: 2,490 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Terrain: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp
Land use: 6% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures; 54% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: dense tropical forest in east and northwest
Note: strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean
- People Population: 2,425,400 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Panamanian(s); adjective--Panamanian
Ethnic divisions: 70% mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry), 14% West Indian, 10% white, 6% Indian
Religion: over 93% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant
Language: Spanish (official); 14% speak English as native tongue; many Panamanians bilingual
Literacy: 90%
Labor force: 770,472 (1987); 27.9% government and community services; 26.2% agriculture, hunting, and fishing; 16% commerce, restaurants, and hotels; 10.5% manufacturing and mining; 5.3% construction; 5.3% transportation and communications; 4.2% finance, insurance, and real estate; 2.4% Canal Zone; shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor
Organized labor: 17% of labor force (1986)
- Government Long-form name: Republic of Panama
Type: centralized republic
Capital: Panama
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, Veraguas
Independence: 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)
Constitution: 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted April 1983
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1903)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica) currently being reorganized
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Guillermo ENDARA (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989); First Vice President Ricardo Arias CALDERON (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989); Second Vice President Guillermo FORD (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Government alliance--Authentic Liberal Party (PLA); faction of Authentic Panamenista Party (PPA), Guillermo Endara; Christian Democrat Party (PDC), Ricardo Arias Calderon; Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo Ramirez; former Noriegist parties--Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, ex-official government party), Carlos Duque; Labor Party (PALA), Ramon Sieiro Murgas; People's Party (PdP, Soviet-oriented Communist party), Ruben Dario Sousa Batista; Democratic Workers Party; National Action Party (PAN);
other opposition parties--Popular Nationalist Party (PNP), Olimpo A. Saez Maruci; factions of the former Liberal and Republican
## parties; Popular Action Party (PAP), Carlos Ivan Zuniga; Socialist Workers
Party (PST, leftist), Jose Cambra; Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT, leftist), Graciela Dixon
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections: President--last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld (next to be held May 1994); results--anti-Noriega coalition believed to have won about 75% of the total votes cast;
Legislative Assembly--last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld; in process of reorganization (next to be held May 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(67 total) the Electoral Tribunal has confirmed 58 of the 67 seats--PDC 27, MOLIRENA 15, PLA 6, Noriegist PRD 7, PPA 3; legitimate holders of the other 9 seats cannot be determined and a special election will be held
Communists: People's Party (PdP), pro-Noriega regime mainline Communist party, did not obtain the necessary 3% of the total vote in the 1984 election to retain its legal status; about 3,000 members
Other political or pressure groups: National Council of Organized Workers (CONATO); National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP); Panamanian Association of Business Executives (APEDE)
Member of: FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eduardo VALLARINO; Chancery at 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-1407; the status of the Consulates General and Consulates has not yet been determined; US--Ambassador Deane R. HINTON; Embassy at Avenida Balboa and Calle 38, Apartado 6959, Panama City 5 (mailing address is Box E, APO Miami 34002); telephone [507] 27-1777
Flag: divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white with a blue five-pointed star in the center (hoist side) and plain red, the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center
- Economy Overview: The GDP contracted an estimated 7.5% in 1989, following a drop of 20% in 1988. Political instability, lack of credit, and the erosion of business confidence prompted declines of 20-70% in the financial, agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, and construction sectors between 1987 and 1989. Transits through the Panama Canal were off slightly, as were toll revenues. Unemployment remained about 23% during 1989. Imports of foodstuffs and crude oil increased during 1989, but capital goods imports continued their slide. Exports were widely promoted by Noriega trade delegations, but sales abroad remained stagnant.
GDP: $3.9 billion, per capita $1,648; real growth rate - 7.5% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 0.1% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 23% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $598 million; expenditures $750 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Exports: $220 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--bananas 40%, shrimp 27%, coffee 4%, sugar, petroleum products; partners--US 90%, Central America and Caribbean, EC (1989 est.)
Imports: $830 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--foodstuffs 16%, capital goods 9%, crude oil 16%, consumer goods, chemicals; partners--US 35%, Central America and Caribbean, EC, Mexico, Venezuela (1989 est.)
External debt: $5.2 billion (November 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 4.1% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 1,113,000 kW capacity; 3,270 million kWh produced, 1,380 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum refining, brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar mills, paper products
Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP (1989 est.), 26% of labor force (1987); crops--bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane; livestock; fishing; importer of food grain, vegetables, milk products
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $515 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $568 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $4 million
Currency: balboa (plural--balboas); 1 balboa (B) = 100 centesimos
Exchange rates: balboas (B) per US$1--1.000 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 238 km total; 78 km 1.524-meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge
Highways: 8,530 km total; 2,745 km paved, 3,270 km gravel or crushed stone, 2,515 km improved and unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal
Pipelines: crude oil, 130 km
Ports: Cristobal, Balboa, Puerto de La Bahia de Las Minas
Merchant marine: 3,187 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 46,502,092 GRT/72,961,250 DWT; includes 34 passenger, 22 short-sea passenger, 3 passenger-cargo, 1,087 cargo, 179 refrigerated cargo, 186 container, 71 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 136 vehicle carrier, 7 livestock carrier, 9 multifunction large-load carrier, 315 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 184 chemical tanker, 30 combination ore/oil, 91 liquefied gas, 8 specialized tanker, 767 bulk, 58 combination bulk; note--all but 5 are foreign owned and operated; the top 4 foreign owners are Japan 41%, Greece 9%, Hong Kong 9%, and the US 7% (China owns at least 144 ships, Yugoslavia 12, Cuba 6, and Vietnam 9)
Civil air: 16 major transport aircraft
Airports: 123 total, 112 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: domestic and international facilities well developed; connection into Central American Microwave System; 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite antennas; 220,000 telephones; stations--91 AM, no FM, 23 TV; 1 coaxial submarine cable
- Defense Forces Branches: the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) ceased to exist as a military institution shortly after the United States invaded Panama on 20 December 1989; President Endara is attempting to restructure the forces, with more civilian control, under the new name of Panamanian Public Forces (PPF)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 628,327; 433,352 fit for military service; no conscription
Defense expenditures: 2.0% of GDP (1987) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Papua New Guinea - Geography Total area: 461,690 km2; land area: 451,710 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than California
Land boundary: 820 km with Indonesia
Coastline: 5,152 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills
Natural resources: gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil potential
Land use: NEGL% arable land; 1% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 71% forest and woodland; 28% other
Environment: one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast; some active volcanos; frequent earthquakes
Note: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia
- People Population: 3,822,875 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 56 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Papua New Guinean(s); adjective--Papua New Guinean
Ethnic divisions: predominantly Melanesian and Papuan; some Negrito, Micronesian, and Polynesian
Religion: over half of population nominally Christian (490,000 Roman Catholic, 320,000 Lutheran, other Protestant sects); remainder indigenous beliefs
Language: 715 indigenous languages; English spoken by 1-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
Literacy: 32%
Labor force: 1,660,000; 732,806 in salaried employment; 54% agriculture, 25% government, 9% industry and commerce, 8% services (1980)
Organized labor: more than 50 trade unions, some with fewer than 20 members
- Government Long-form name: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Port Moresby
Administrative divisions: 20 provinces; Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, North Solomons, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain
Independence: 16 September 1975 (from UN trusteeship under Australian administration)
Constitution: 16 September 1975
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1975)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, National Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State--Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Vincent ERI (since 18 January 1990);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Rabbie NAMALIU (since 4 July 1988); Deputy Prime Minister Akoko DOI (since 7 July 1988)
Political parties: Pangu Party, People's Progress Party, United Party, Papua Besena, National Party, Melanesian Alliance
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: National Parliament--last held 13 June-4 July 1987 (next to be held 4 July 1992); results--PP 14.7%, PDM 10.8%, PPP 6.1%, MA 5.6%, NP 5.1%, PAP 3.2%, independents 42.9%, others 11.6%; seats--(109 total) PP 26, PDM 17, NP 12, MA 7, PAP 6, PPP 5, independents 22, others 14
Communists: no significant strength
Member of: ACP, ADB, ANRPC, CIPEC (associate), Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Margaret TAYLOR; Chancery at Suite 350, 1330 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 659-0856; US--Ambassador-designate William FERRAND; Embassy at Armit Street, Port Moresby (mailing address is P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby); telephone [675] 211-455 or 594, 654
Flag: divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five white five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered
- Economy Overview: Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for more than half of the population. Mining of numerous deposits, including copper and gold, accounts for about 60% of export earnings. Budgetary support from Australia and development aid under World Bank auspices help sustain the economy.
GDP: $3.26 billion, per capita $890; real growth rate 1.2% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5% (1988)
Budget: revenues $962 million; expenditures $998 million, including capital expenditures of $169 million (1988)
Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--gold, copper ore, coffee, copra, palm oil, timber, lobster; partners--FRG, Japan, Australia, UK, Spain, US
Imports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--machinery and transport equipment, fuels, food, chemicals, consumer goods; partners--Australia, Singapore, Japan, US, New Zealand, UK
External debt: $2.5 billion (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 397,000 kW capacity; 1,510 million kWh produced, 400 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: copra crushing, oil palm processing, plywood processing, wood chip production, gold, silver, copper, construction, tourism
Agriculture: one-third of GDP; livelihood for 85% of population; fertile soils and favorable climate permits cultivating a wide variety of crops; cash crops--coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels; other products--tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry, pork; net importer of food for urban centers
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $38.8 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $5.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $17 million
Currency: kina (plural--kina); 1 kina (K) = 100 toea
Exchange rates: kina (K) per US$1--1.1592 (December 1989), 1.1685 (1989), 1.1538 (1988), 1.1012 (1987), 1.0296 (1986), 1.0000 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year