Key facts about Papua New Guinea

Nov. 4, 2024

At the just-concluded 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, local environmental groups from Papua New Guinea raised these urgent issues and called for international action to stop illegal logging that is damaging one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.

About Papua New Guinea:

It is an island country that lies in the south-western Pacific.
It includes the eastern half of New Guinea (the world’s second-largest island) and many small offshore islands.
Neighbors: Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to the southeast.
Terrain: It is mainly mountainous but has low-lying plains in southern New Guinea.
The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians.
Language: English is the main language of government and commerce. In most everyday contexts, the most widely spoken language is Tok Pisin.
Government:

The country is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth.
The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is the head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government.

Papua New Guinea’s rainforests are rich in biodiversity, housing rare species such as birds of paradise, tree kangaroos, and the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterfly.
These forests represent only one per cent of Earth’s land but play a vital role in absorbing carbon and supporting the lives and traditions of Papua New Guinea’s indigenous peoples.