Country Profile
From The Report: Papua New Guinea 2014
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Some 80% of Papua New Guinea’s population lives in rural areas, which includes huge rain forests, rugged mountains and steep river valleys. Indeed, the difficulty of the terrain is a major reason why there are some 850 different native languages in the country, as clans and tribes have inhabited territories that are often close, but largely inaccessible, to each other. Comprising the eastern half of the largest tropical island on earth, PNG is home to a wide range of peoples, languages and cultures, as well as significant biodiversity. In addition, the country is an important exporter of valuable natural resources, including gold, copper and hydrocarbons. It is also a key producer of agricultural products: the nation’s cash crops include coffee, oil palm, cocoa, coconut and, to a lesser extent, tea and rubber. The country is expected to become a major exporter of natural gas in coming years, which will provide a significant boost to the size and strength of the economy. This chapter contains an interview with Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Great diversity in a small landmass
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Comprising the eastern half of the largest tropical island on Earth, as well as hundreds of smaller adjacent islands, Papua New Guinea is home to a huge diversity of peoples, languages and cultures, and important biodiversity. In less than 0.5% of the world’s landmass, the island of New Guinea shelters 6-8% of global species, hosts one-sixth of known languages, and rivals Borneo, the Amazon and the Congo in terms of biodiversity, according to the Worldwide Wildlife Foundation (WWF). In addition,…

Overview

Influenced by Europe, the country forges its own path
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While it is a country of great cultural and geographical diversity, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has also long been a country facing great challenges. Covering roughly half of the world’s largest island, PNG’s tropical climate has ensured this mountainous territory is known around the globe for its thick jungles and often-inaccessible highland valleys. Tipping Point The nation is poised for change, with PNG’s mineral riches and recent international investments giving it a major opportunity to move…

Interview

New horizons: OBG talks to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill
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Interview: Peter O’Neill How is the economy likely to respond to liquefied natural gas (LNG) coming on stream in Papua New Guinea for the very first time? PETER O’NEILL: Abundant resources of hydrocarbons and minerals gave PNG opportunities in the past. Unfortunately, those huge surpluses were not fully used for the benefit of our people, mainly due to bad management and poor leadership. It is the third time that history knocks at our door and this administration is fully aware that we cannot…