Papua New Guinea (2001) | East Timor (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain | 13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
38.7% (male 993,248; female 960,647) 15-64 years: 57.63% (male 1,507,064; female 1,402,666) 65 years and over: 3.67% (male 87,779; female 97,651) (2001 est.) |
NA |
Agriculture - products | coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables; poultry, pork | coffee, rice, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla |
Airports | 492 (2000 est.) | 8 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 3 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,427 m: 1 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
472 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 57 under 914 m: 402 (2000 est.) |
total: 5 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Area | total:
462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km |
total: 15,007 sq km
land: NA sq km water: NA sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than California | slightly larger than Connecticut |
Background | The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997, after claiming some 20,000 lives. | The Portuguese colony of Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was subsequently incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur. A so-called campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which time an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, the people of Timor Timur voted for independence from Indonesia. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state and the world's newest democracy. |
Birth rate | 32.15 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 28.07 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$1.6 billion expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
Capital | Port Moresby | Dili |
Climate | tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation | tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons |
Coastline | 5,152 km | 706 km |
Constitution | 16 September 1975 | 22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model) |
Country name | conventional long form:
Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea abbreviation: PNG |
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
conventional short form: East Timor local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese] local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese] former: Portuguese Timor |
Currency | kina (PGK) | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 7.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.9 billion (2000 est.) | $NA |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Arma Jane KARAER embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby mailing address: P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby telephone: [675] 321-1455 FAX: [675] 321-3423 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Grover Joseph REES
embassy: Avenido do Portugal, Farol, Dili mailing address: NA telephone: (670) 390 324 684 FAX: (670) 390 313 206 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Susan JACOBS chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679 |
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Jose Luis GUTERRES
chancery: NA telephone: NA FAX: NA consulate(s) general: NA |
Disputes - international | none | East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee meets to survey and delimit land boundary; Indonesia seeks resolution of East Timor refugees in Indonesia; Australia-East Timor-Indonesia are working to resolve maritime boundary and sharing of seabed resources in "Timor Gap" |
Economic aid - recipient | $400 million (1999 est.) | $2.2 billion |
Economy - overview | Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for 72% of export earnings. The 3.4% average annual growth rate of GDP during 1979-1998 conceals considerable year-to-year variation resulting from external economic shocks, natural disasters, and economic management problems. There has been little growth in the last half of the 1990s, with real GDP in 1999 barely 3% higher than in 1994, not enough to compensate for population growth. A new administration under the leadership of Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA in July 1999 has promised to restore integrity to state institutions, to stabilize the kina, to restore stability to the national budget, to privatize public enterprises where appropriate, and to ensure ongoing peace on Bougainville. The government has had considerable success in attracting international support, specifically gaining the support of the IMF and the World Bank in securing development assistance loans. Significant challenges remain for MORAUTA, however, including gaining further investor confidence, specifically for the proposed Papua New Guinea-Australia oil pipeline, continuing efforts to privatize government assets, and in maintaining the support from members of Parliament who after 15 July 2001 can dismiss him with a vote of no-confidence. | In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias, and 260,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By mid-2002, all but about 50,000 of the refugees had returned. The country faces great challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure and the strengthening of the infant civil administration. One promising long-term project would be development of oil resources in nearby waters. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.693 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh |
Electricity - production | 1.82 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
54.95% hydro: 45.05% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m |
lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m
highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m |
Environment - current issues | rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought | widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
NA |
Ethnic groups | Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian | Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority |
Exchange rates | kina per US dollar - 2.81 (October 2000), 2.696 (2000), 2.539 (1999), 2.058 (1998), 1.434 (1997), 1.318 (1996) | - |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Silas ATOPARE (since 13 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA (since NA August 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Michael OGIO (since 3 November 2000) cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the National Executive Council; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general for up to five years on the basis of majority support in National Parliament |
chief of state: President Jose Alexander GUSMAO (since 20 May 2002); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto some legislation
head of government: Prime Minister Mari Bin Amude ALKATIRI (since 20 May 2002) cabinet: Council of State elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2007); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Jose Alexander GUSMAO elected president; percent of vote - Jose Alexander GUSMAO 82.7%, Francisco Xavier do Amaral 17.3% |
Exports | $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $8 million (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns | coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - the potential for oil and vanilla exports |
Exports - partners | Australia 30%, Japan 12%, Germany 7%, South Korea 4%, Philippines 3%, UK 3% (1999) | NA |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered | red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the black triangle |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $12.2 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $415 million (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
30% industry: 35% services: 35% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 25%
industry: 17% services: 57% (2001) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.9% (2000 est.) | 18% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 6 00 S, 147 00 E | 8 50 S, 125 55 E |
Geography - note | shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast | Timor is the Malay word for "Orient"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands |
Heliports | 2 (2000 est.) | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total:
19,600 km paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (1996) |
total: 3,800 km
paved: 428 km unpaved: 3,372 km (1995) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | NA |
Imports | $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $237 million (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals | NA |
Imports - partners | Australia 53%, Singapore 13%, Japan 6%, US 4%, New Zealand 4%, Malaysia 4% (1999) | NA |
Independence | 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) | 28 November 1975 (date of proclamation of independence from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of East Timor's independence from Indonesia |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 8.5% |
Industries | copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production; construction, tourism | printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth |
Infant mortality rate | 58.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 51.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 17% (2000 est.) | NA% |
International organization participation | ACP, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | IBRD, IMF
note: UN membership is expected in September |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 3 (2000) | NA |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 1,065 sq km (est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission) | Supreme Court of Justice, one judge appointed by the National Parliament and the rest appointed by the Superior Council for the Judiciary |
Labor force | 1.941 million | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 85%, industry NA%, services NA% | NA |
Land boundaries | total:
820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km |
total: 228 km
border countries: Indonesia 228 km |
Land use | arable land:
0.1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 92.9% other: 6% (1993 est.) |
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% |
Languages | English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages |
Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English
note: there are a total of about 16 indigenous languages, of which Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people |
Legal system | based on English common law | NA |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Parliament - sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly (109 seats, 89 elected from open electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14-28 June 1997 (next to be held NA June 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP 15%, Pangu Pati 14%, NA 14%, PDM 8%, PNC 6%, PAP 5%, UP 3%, NP 1%, PUP 1%, independents 33%; seats by party - PPP 16, Pangu Pati 15, NA 15, PDM 9, PNC 7, PAP 5, UP 3, NP 1, PUP 1, independents 37; note - association with political parties is very fluid |
unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary, minimum requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term of office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an exceptional basis
elections: last held 30 August 2001 (next to be held NA August 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD 8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT 2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT 2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
63.46 years male: 61.39 years female: 65.64 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 64.85 years
male: 62.64 years female: 67.17 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 72.2% male: 81% female: 62.7% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48% (2001) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia | Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco |
Map references | Oceania | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
contiguous zone: NA NM
exclusive fishing zone: NA NM continental shelf: NA NM exclusive economic zone: NA NM territorial sea: NA NM extended fishing zone: NA NM |
Merchant marine | total:
20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,361 GRT/51,096 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
total: NA
ships by type: NA |
Military branches | Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, and Special Forces Unit) | the East Timor Defense Force or FALINTIL-FDTL comprises a light-infantry Army and a small Naval component; note - plans are to develop a force of 1,500 active personnel and 1,500 reserve personnel over the next five years |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $42 million (FY98) | $4.4 million (FY03) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (FY98) | NA% |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,306,159 (2001 est.) |
NA |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
723,012 (2001 est.) |
NA |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18-21 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | NA |
National holiday | Independence Day, 16 September (1975) | Independence Day, 28 November (1975) |
Nationality | noun:
Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean |
noun: Timorese
adjective: Timorese |
Natural hazards | active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis | floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones |
Natural resources | gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries | gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 51.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | NA |
Political parties and leaders | National Alliance or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party or NP [Michael MEL]; Papua New Guinea United Party or Pangu Pati [Chris HAIVETA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Ted DIRO]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Simon KAUMI]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Michael NALI]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Alfred KAIABE]; United Party or UP [Rimbiuk PATO] | Associacao Social-Democrata Timorense or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Christian Democratic Party of Timor or PDC [Antonio XIMENES]; Christian Democratic Union of Timor or UDC [Vicente da Silva GUTERRES]; Democratic Pary or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; Maubere Democratic Party or PDM [leader NA]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor or FRETILIN [Lu OLO]; Social Democrat Party of East Timor or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO]; Socialist Party of Timor or PST [leader NA]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes) or KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL]; Timor Democratic Union or UDT [Joao CARRASCALAO]; Timor Labor Party or TRABALHISTA [Paulo Freitas DA SILVA]; Timorese Nationalist Party or PNT [Abilio ARAUJO]; Timorese Popular Democratic Association or APODETI [Frederico Almeida Santos COSTA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 5,049,055 (July 2001 est.) | 952,618 (July 2002 est.)
note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 37% | 42% (2002 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.43% (2001 est.) | 7.26% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul | NA |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998) | AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA |
Radios | 410,000 (1997) | NA |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant 10%, indigenous beliefs 34% | Roman Catholic 90%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%, Buddhist, Animist (1992 est.) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 17 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: mostly radiotelephone international: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service |
NA |
Telephones - main lines in use | 47,000 (1996) | NA |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3,053 (1996) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (1997) | NA |
Terrain | mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills | mountainous |
Total fertility rate | 4.3 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.88 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 50% (including underemployment) |
Waterways | 10,940 km | NA |