Papua New Guinea
Oceania ยท Capital: Port Moresby
How it is run: Papua New Guinea is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Papua New Guinea is home to 10.8 million people in Melanesia, where people speak English, Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
10.8 million people
That is 0.1% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
462,840 kmยฒ
Bigger than Texas โ a long road trip from one side to the other.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 23 people per square kilometre โ a comfortable mix of cities and open land.
๐ Size in its region
2nd most people in Oceania
2nd largest by land in Oceania.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
English, Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin
More than one language is used for official business.
๐ฐ Money
Papua New Guinean kina (K)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
66.3 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$3,020
A lower-income country: money for schools, clinics and roads has to stretch a very long way.
๐ข Living in cities
15.8% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
๐ Kids under 15
33.1% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+675
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.pg
๐ง People here are called
Papua New Guinean
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
Papua New Guinea ยท Papua Niu Gini ยท Papua Niugini
Also written: Independent State of Papua New Guinea, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Asia and the Pacific Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
Papua New Guinea touches 1 neighbour by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Papรบa Nueva Guinea
French
Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinรฉe
Arabic
ุจุงุจูุง ุบูููุง ุงูุฌุฏูุฏุฉ
Chinese
ๅทดๅธไบๆฐๅ ๅ ไบ
Japanese
ใใใขใใฅใผใฎใใข
Russian
ะะฐะฟัะฐ โ ะะพะฒะฐั ะะฒะธะฝะตั
Portuguese
Papua Nova Guinรฉ
German
Papua-Neuguinea
Put it in perspective ๐
- Australia โ the most populated country in Oceania โ has about 2.6ร as many people as Papua New Guinea.
- Papua New Guinea covers roughly 4,408 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Papua New Guinea lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 5,381 km.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: Because of where Papua New Guinea sits, the school day there starts many hours before or after yours does.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Independent State of Papua New Guinea
๐๏ธ Capital
Port Moresby
๐ Region
Oceania ยท Melanesia
๐ค Country code
PG
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about Papua New Guinea ๐
๐งญ Where on the map
6.0ยฐ S, 147.0ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Southern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+10 โ when it is noon in London it is about 22:00 in Port Moresby.
- ๐ต๐ฌ is the flag of Papua New Guinea. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is PG.
- Papua New Guinea lies in the tropics, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, so the sun gets very high overhead.
- Because of where Papua New Guinea sits, the school day there starts many hours before or after yours does.
- Papua New Guinea is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- Papua New Guinea sits in Melanesia, in the southern and eastern half of the globe.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- Papua New Guinea has 3 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Papua New Guinea can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Papua New Guinea spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Papua New Guinea?
Port Moresby
Which money do people spend in Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinean kina (K)
How many countries share a land border with Papua New Guinea?
1 โ Indonesia.
Roughly how many people live in Papua New Guinea?
10.8 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.