Full Name

Independent State of Papua New Guinea

Land Area (sq km)

462,840

Population Size

5,887,000

Population Density

12.72

Year of Independence

1975

GDP per capita ($US)

905

HDI

139

Age Structure

0-14 years: 37.6%

15-64 years: 58.5%

65 years and over: 3.9%

Ethnic Groups

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Languages

Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total)

Religion

Geographical Notes

shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast