Papua New Guinea Capital

Map showing the location of Papua New Guinea

The capital city of Papua New Guinea is Port Moresby, located in the southwestern part of the country. As the name implies, the city is a port town, constructed on the Gulf of Papua. The city emerged as a major trading port of the region in the later stages of the 19th century but had been previously inhabited for thousands of years by the indigenous peoples of the country. During World War II, the area was a major goal of conquest for the Japanese Imperial Army in order to cut off Asutralian supplies to the Pacific Arena.

Port Moresby is the largest city in the South Pacific, outside of Australia and New Zealand, and approximately 310,000 people live in the area. Port Moresby experienced an annual growth rate of 2.1% over a nine-year period (2002-2011) but still remains relatively spacious in terms of population density. Only 18% of the entire population of the country lives in urban areas, including the capital.

The most well-known attractions in the city include the National Museum and Art Gallery, the Ela Beach Craft Market, and the Port Moresby Nature Park. Scuba diving in the Gulf of Papua has been touted as an amazing experience by many tourists. The National Orchid Gardens also make for a great day trip while in the city. Connecting flights from Australia to Port Moresby are often relatively cheap.

The climate of Port Moresby is classed as a tropical savanna climate with temperatures remaining relatively consistent throughout the year. Average high temperatures will range from 28-32 degrees Celsius (82.4-89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and the average year-round lows are around 23 degrees Celsius (73.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Port Moresby is also the driest part of the country with around 1,000 millimetres (39.37 inches) of annual rainfall. The dry season runs from June-December and during this time the temperatures are slightly cooler than the annual average for highs and lows.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Port Moresby
Languages	Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 839 indigenous languages spoken (about 12% of the world's total); many languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers
Ethnic Groups	Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian
Religion	Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 69.4% (Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%), Baha'i 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census)
Government	Parliamentary democracy (National Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independance	16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)
Area	462,840.00 km²
Water Area	9,980.00 km²
Land Area	452,860.00 km²
Population	6,791,317.00
Location	Oceania, 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
No. Bordering Countries	1
Bordering Countries	Indonesia 824 km
GDP(PPP)	$28,020,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$3,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Japan, Australia, and China.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, and coffee.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Australia, China, and Singapore.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, and food.
Climate	Subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west
Terrain	Mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills
Learn More	Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea Capital

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