im of
Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe
earthquakes; mudslides
international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

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

@Papua New Guinea:People

Population: 4,294,750 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (female 847,208; male 892,718)
15-64 years: 57% (female 1,161,961; male 1,268,266)
65 years and over: 2% (female 66,759; male 57,838) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.3% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 33.2 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 10.18 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 61.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.85 years
male: 56.01 years
female: 57.74 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.55 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Papua New Guinean(s)
adjective: Papua New Guinean

Ethnic divisions: Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Religions: Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%,
Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%,
Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant
sects 10%, indigenous beliefs 34%

Languages: English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu
spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population: 52%
male: 65%
female: 38%

Labor force: NA

@Papua New Guinea:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
conventional short form: Papua New Guinea

Digraph: PP

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 the Australian-administered UN
tru