Global Education

Teacher resources to encourage a global
perspective across the curriculum

Papua New Guinea

Map for Papua New Guinea
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  • Papua New Guinea’s first satellite dish will bring clearer, more reliable radio signals and improve connections to the world.
  • This primary school in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea is provided with water by the government.
  • Villagers wearing traditional costumes beat drums at a ceremony in Papua New Guinea.
  • A new house with woven bamboo walls and a tin roof in Papua New Guinea.
  • Coastal families fish for their own food and for extra to sell at the market in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea.
  • The tenkile is very difficult to see in the dense rainforests of Papua New Guinea’s Torricelli Mountains.
  • Rabbit farming has replaced the hunting of tenkile and provides a good source of food.
  • Supported by Australian volunteers, local trainers assist the village communities to manage the conservation area.
  • Everyone helps to record tuber weights at harvest in Papua New Guinea.
  • Men measure the girth of a tree in Papua New Guinea.
  • In Papua New Guinea, sawn timber is transported from the forest by sea.
  • People who have moved to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, have built stilt houses over the water as they have no traditional land.
  • Wide verandahs and louvre windows keep these houses built over the water in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, cool.
  • Apartment buildings in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea have views over the water but are too expensive for most citizens.
  • The recruitment of women police in Papua New Guinea is helping to achieve a just, safe and secure society for all.
  • Linda Rau from Kila Kila Village Court, PNG, resolves disputes and builds understanding of issues, particularly those affecting women.
  • Citizens were educated about who can vote and how to vote.
  • Mock poll booths helped people understand the electoral process in the 2012 PNG general elections.
  • Pieces of red clay pottery with raised circular patterns have been joined together to form a pot. .
  • Cultural, linguistic and biological evidence indicates people of the Pacific Islands travelled west through South-East Asia.
  • A community leader educates people about the ways to prevent and control the spread of cholera in Daru, Papua New Guinea.
  • Lack of safe drinking water and unsanitary conditions in Daru, Papua New Guinea, increase the risk of cholera and other water-borne diseases.
  • Villagers learned to use water purification tablets to ensure safe water and prevent the spread of cholera in Papua New Guinea.

Sources:

Australian Aid
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
World Bank 

Case studies

Biological control in Papua New Guinea

The water hyacinth was introduced into Papua New Guinea because of its attractive flower.
After water hyacinths clogged waterways along the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea, scientists and community members used a combination of weed removal and weevils to clear the weed.
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Cholera in Papua New Guinea

Lack of safe drinking water and unsanitary conditions in Daru, Papua New Guinea, increase the risk of cholera and other water-borne diseases.
Provision of safe water, proper sanitation and the promotion of improved hygiene and food handling practices are the most effective ways of improving health limiting the spread of cholera.
Read more

Conserving tree kangaroos

The tenkile is very difficult to see in the dense rainforests of Papua New Guinea’s Torricelli Mountains.
Holistic development is improving health and protecting the environment and endangered tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea.
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Empowering women in Papua New Guinea

Linda Rau from Kila Kila Village Court, PNG, resolves disputes and builds understanding of issues, particularly those affecting women.
Training and awareness raising is leading to more women decision-makers in Village Courts and the National Parliament and helping improve the lives of women in general.
Read more

People of the Pacific

Cultural, linguistic and biological evidence indicates people of the Pacific Islands travelled west through South-East Asia.
The origin stories of Pacific Islanders and scientific evidence provide insights into the formation and history of settlement of the Pacific Islands.
Read more

South Pacific sea level monitoring

A weather-monitoring station in Kiribati.
Sea level monitoring stations in the south-west Pacific are collecting data to assist nations to prepare for climate change.
Read more

Sustainable living from logged forests in Papua New Guinea

Men measure the girth of a tree in Papua New Guinea.
Villagers living near logged forests are learning to manage the remaining trees sustainably and earn an ongoing income.
Read more

Sweet potato diversity in Papua New Guinea

Everyone helps to record tuber weights at harvest in Papua New Guinea.
In Papua New Guinea farmers are involved in the selection of new sweet potato varieties to improve their food security.
Read more
Flag of Papua New Guinea

Population:

7,167,010

GNI per capita (PPP US$):

2,330

Population living on less than $US1.25 per day:

36%

Adult literacy rates:

62%

Access to water:

40%
Did you know?

Papua New Guinea gets its name from the Portuguese Ilhas dos Papuas – Island of the Fuzzy Hairs.

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Geography

Physical geography

Papua New Guinea’s mainland is the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, which has an area of 452,860 square kilometres. A mountainous spine runs down its centre with the highest point being Mount Wilhelm at 4,509 metres. There are about 600 separate islands to the north and east, the major ones (Bougainville, New Ireland, New Britain and Manus) having been formed by volcanoes. Around two-thirds of Papua New Guinea is covered by dense tropical rainforests. Soils are fertile only in lowland areas.

Climate

Papua New Guinea is close to the equator so the climate is monsoonal with high temperatures and humidity along the coast and cooler conditions in the mountains. Rainfall averages between 2,000 millimetres and 2,500 millimetres, most of which falls between December and March. Port Moresby, the capital, is situated in the south-east in a rain shadow area and receives an average annual rainfall of only 1,011 millimetres and has a narrow range in temperatures from 27.8 °C in January to 25.6 °C in July.

Environment

Papua New Guinea is rich in wildlife and natural resources, including minerals, timber and fish. Birds of paradise, tree kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, cuscus and spiny ant-eaters are some of its wildlife. Although its rugged terrain and limited road network have, until recently, restricted development, progress is now causing deforestation and mining pollution.

Population

Most of the population live in isolated rural communities. Urban population is 13% but growing rapidly. This is putting pressure on services and increasing competition for employment. The main urban areas are Port Moresby (population: 314,000), Lae, Madang, Wewak, Goroka and Mount Hagen.

People

Culture and identity

Most people in Papua New Guinea are Melanesian (related to the islanders of Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia). There is a wide range of cultures and beliefs with about 800 different languages spoken. English, Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin), and Motu (Papuan region) are the official languages.

Each language group has its own forms of art, dance, dress, carvings, decorations, building structures and group organisation. Groups of people speaking one language form wantok groups who look after each other.

The Kuk Early Agricultural Site has World Heritage listing. The reclaimed wetland has been worked almost continuously for 7,000 years, and possibly for 10,000 years.

Health

The average life expectancy is 66 years (female: 69 and male: 64) with malaria, dengue fever and hepatitis being common diseases. Many women die in childbirth (733 per 100,000 live births) and about 39 of every 1,000 babies die before they reach their first birthday. Around 40% of the population has access to safe water (89% of urban population and 33% of rural population) and 18% has access to safe sanitation (56% of urban population and 13% of rural population). About 0.5% of the population were living with HIV/AIDS.

Religion and beliefs

Most people are Christian, but many also follow the traditional religious practices of their village, which may include spirit or ancestor worship. This may mean farming communities celebrating fertility, and harvests with icons and dancing or practices such as sorcery, and witchcraft is also widespread.

Food and shelter

Food consists of what can be grown in gardens – sweet potato, taro and greens, supplemented by meat – mainly pork – and imported tinned fish and rice. People in villages live in a variety of styles of traditional housing made from bush materials while people living in towns tend to live in Western-style housing.

Economy

Wealth and poverty

About 85% of the country’s population make a living from farming. Foreign investors control the minerals, timber and fish sectors. Manufacturing is limited, which means high unemployment in the towns, and about 37% of the population live in poverty. Declining prices have reduced export income and increased debt.

Education and work

Recent education reforms have dramatically increased the number of children enrolled in school; but the adult literacy rate is 62% (male: 65% and female: 59%). Papua New Guinean adults have had an average of 4.3 years of school and today’s children spend about five years at school.

Industries and products

Agricultural products include coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla, shellfish, poultry and pork. Industries include copra (coconut) crushing, palm oil processing, woodchip and plywood production; gold, silver and copper mining; crude oil production; petroleum refining; construction; and tourism.

Trade

Papua New Guinea’s main export partners are Australia (30%), Japan (10%), China (5%) and Germany (4%) and exports include oil, gold, copper, timber, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish and prawns. Papua New Guinea imports manufactured goods, food, fuels and chemicals from Australia (36%), Singapore (13%), Malaysia (8%), China (8%), and Japan (6%).

Government

Papua New Guinea is a constitutional monarchy. The Head of State is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor-General who is elected by members of the national parliament. Papua New Guinea has three levels of government – national, provincial and local. The national parliament is a 111-member unicameral legislature elected for five-year terms by universal suffrage. After the 2002 election a system of limited preferential voting was introduced, under which voters are required to list a first, second and third preference.

The last election was held in June and July 2012 and the Peter O’Neill’s People’s National Congress party won 27 seats and lead a coalition of parties.

Freedom of the press is under scrutiny in Papua New Guinea with evidence suggesting a high level of political interference in the media. There are also concerns about the respect for human rights and the treatment of workers in foreign-owned mines.

Achievements and challenges

Since independence in 1975, there have been times of social and economic improvement, but poor governance as well as economic mismanagement, corruption and law and order problems.

Papua New Guinea is subject to frequent amd sometimes severe earthquakes, mudslides, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. 

It is unlikely that Papua New Guinea will achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals but it has seen recent improvements in economic management and budgetary performance and lower interest rates.

Links with Australia

Geographic and historical links make Papua New Guinea a special place for many Australians. Australian troops occupied German New Guinea (the northern part of the mainland) in 1914, and Australia governed this area after World War 1. During World War 2 Australian soldiers fought the Japanese army in Papua New Guinea. Australia governed the whole of Papua New Guinea from 1945 until 1975 when it became independent. Australian peacekeepers were based on the island of Bougainville from 1997 to 2003 after the 10-year civil war concluded.

Current Australian investments in Papua New Guinea are mainly in the mining and petroleum areas and employ 7,000 Australians. Australia is Papua New Guinea’s largest source of imports and its number one export market. Papua New Guinea is Australia’s sixteenth-largest trading partner.

The 2011 census recorded 26,787 Papua New Guinea-born people in Australia, with more than half of this number living in Queensland (14,500). There are 5,428 living in New South Wales, 2,534 in Victoria and 1,763 in Western Australia.

Australia’s official development assistance to Papua New Guinea focuses on:

  • Health – particularly maternal and child health, and the care of those living with HIV
  • Education – providing teacher training, subsidising school fees, distributing millions of textbooks and building new classrooms and teacher housing
  • Transport infrastructure – maintaining over 2,000 kilometres of priority roads
  • Law and justice – establishing more village courts and targeting domestic violence. 
Papua New Guinea’s first satellite dish will bring clearer, more reliable radio signals and improve connections to the world.
Photo by Francina Thompson/AusAID
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Papua New Guinea’s first satellite dish will bring clearer, more reliable radio signals and improve connections to the world. Photo by Francina Thompson/AusAID
This primary school in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea is provided with water by the government.
Photo by Jacqueline Smart Ferguson for AusAID
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This primary school in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea is provided with water by the government. Photo by Jacqueline Smart Ferguson for AusAID
Villagers wearing traditional costumes beat drums at a ceremony in Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Jacqueline Smart Ferguson for AusAID
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Villagers wearing traditional costumes beat drums at a ceremony in Papua New Guinea. Photo by Jacqueline Smart Ferguson for AusAID
A new house with woven bamboo walls and a tin roof in Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Stanley Oluwond for AusAID
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A new house with woven bamboo walls and a tin roof in Papua New Guinea. Photo by Stanley Oluwond for AusAID
Coastal families fish for their own food and for extra to sell at the market in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Jacqueline Smart Ferguson for AusAID
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Coastal families fish for their own food and for extra to sell at the market in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Jacqueline Smart Ferguson for AusAID
The tenkile is very difficult to see in the dense rainforests of Papua New Guinea’s Torricelli Mountains.
© Chris Banks, Zoos Victoria
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The tenkile is very difficult to see in the dense rainforests of Papua New Guinea’s Torricelli Mountains. © Chris Banks, Zoos Victoria
Rabbit farming has replaced the hunting of tenkile and provides a good source of food.
Photo by Jean Thomas/TCA
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Rabbit farming has replaced the hunting of tenkile and provides a good source of food. Photo by Jean Thomas/TCA
Supported by Australian volunteers, local trainers assist the village communities to manage the conservation area.
Photo by Jean Thomas/TCA
Print | Save
Supported by Australian volunteers, local trainers assist the village communities to manage the conservation area. Photo by Jean Thomas/TCA
Everyone helps to record tuber weights at harvest in Papua New Guinea.
Photo from World Vision Australia
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Everyone helps to record tuber weights at harvest in Papua New Guinea. Photo from World Vision Australia
Men measure the girth of a tree in Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Julian Fox
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Men measure the girth of a tree in Papua New Guinea. Photo by Julian Fox
In Papua New Guinea, sawn timber is transported from the forest by sea.
Photo by Julian Fox
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In Papua New Guinea, sawn timber is transported from the forest by sea. Photo by Julian Fox
People who have moved to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, have built stilt houses over the water as they have no traditional land.
Photo by Rae Allen / Flickr http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
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People who have moved to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, have built stilt houses over the water as they have no traditional land. Photo by Rae Allen / Flickr http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Wide verandahs and louvre windows keep these houses built over the water in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, cool.
Photo by elyse patten / Flickr http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0
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Wide verandahs and louvre windows keep these houses built over the water in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, cool. Photo by elyse patten / Flickr http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0
Apartment buildings in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea have views over the water but are too expensive for most citizens.
This image is from Wikimedia, and is in the public domain.
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Apartment buildings in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea have views over the water but are too expensive for most citizens. This image is from Wikimedia, and is in the public domain.
The recruitment of women police in Papua New Guinea is helping to achieve a just, safe and secure society for all.
Photo by Michael Wightman for AusAID
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The recruitment of women police in Papua New Guinea is helping to achieve a just, safe and secure society for all. Photo by Michael Wightman for AusAID
Linda Rau from Kila Kila Village Court, PNG, resolves disputes and builds understanding of issues, particularly those affecting women.
Photo by DFAT
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Linda Rau from Kila Kila Village Court, PNG, resolves disputes and builds understanding of issues, particularly those affecting women. Photo by DFAT
Citizens were educated about who can vote and how to vote.
Photo by AusAID
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Citizens were educated about who can vote and how to vote. Photo by AusAID
Mock poll booths helped people understand the electoral process in the 2012 PNG general elections.
Photo by AusAID
Print | Save
Mock poll booths helped people understand the electoral process in the 2012 PNG general elections. Photo by AusAID
Carbon dating pottery found around the Pacific has shown the spread of people across the Pacific.
Stephen Alvarez/National Geographic/Getty Images
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Carbon dating pottery found around the Pacific has shown the spread of people across the Pacific. Stephen Alvarez/National Geographic/Getty Images
Cultural, linguistic and biological evidence indicates people of the Pacific Islands travelled west through South-East Asia.
Magasjukur2, Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 licence.
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Cultural, linguistic and biological evidence indicates people of the Pacific Islands travelled west through South-East Asia. Magasjukur2, Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 licence.
A community leader educates people about the ways to prevent and control the spread of cholera in Daru, Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Dave Vosen for AusAID.
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A community leader educates people about the ways to prevent and control the spread of cholera in Daru, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Dave Vosen for AusAID.
Lack of safe drinking water and unsanitary conditions in Daru, Papua New Guinea, increase the risk of cholera and other water-borne diseases.
Photo by Dave Vosen for AusAID
Print | Save
Lack of safe drinking water and unsanitary conditions in Daru, Papua New Guinea, increase the risk of cholera and other water-borne diseases. Photo by Dave Vosen for AusAID
Villagers learned to use water purification tablets to ensure safe water and prevent the spread of cholera in Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Dave Vosen for AusAID
Print | Save
Villagers learned to use water purification tablets to ensure safe water and prevent the spread of cholera in Papua New Guinea. Photo by Dave Vosen for AusAID