About PNG
PNG Fact Box
| Capital | Port Moresby (9°30'S 147°07'E) |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu |
| Governor General | Sir Paulias Matane |
| Prime Minister | Sir Michael Somare |
| Area | 462,840 km2 |
| Population | 5,887,000 |
| Currency | Kina (PGK) |
| Time Zone | Australian Eastern (AEST) |
| Calling Code | +675 |
| Date of Independence | September 16, 1975 |
| National Flag |  |
About PNG
Papua New Guinea is located in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean, in a region defined since the early 19th century as Melanesia. "Papua" derived from a Malay word describing the frizzy Melanesian hair, and "New Guinea" (Nueva Guinea) was the name coined by Spanish explorer Ynigo Ortiz de Retez, who in 1545 noted the resemblance of the people to those he had earlier seen along the Guinea coast of Africa. The northern half of the country came into German hands in 1884. During World War I, PNG was occupied by Australia, which had begun administering the southern part as Papua (from 1884, British New Guinea) in 1905. Post World War I, Australia was given the mandate to administer the former German New Guinea from the League of Nations under the terms set by the Treaty of Versailles. PNG received its independence from Australia on September 16, 1975. In a population of just over 5 million, and is one of the most of culturally diverse speaking countries with over 850 languages (a third of the world's indigenous languages and ten percent of world languages).
Provinces and Regions
There are 19 provinces in PNG plus the National Capital District divided into 4 regions.
The 4 Regions
Highlands Region: Sumbu, Eastern Highlands, Enga, Southern Highlands and Western Highlands.
Islands Region: East New Britain, Manus, New Ireland, North Solomon's (Bouganville) and West New Britain.
Momase Region: East Sepik, Madang, Morobe, and West Sepik (Sandaun). Momase is a recently devised portmanteau word which combines the first two letters of Morobe, Madang, and Sepik.
Papua Region: Central, Gulf, Milne Bay, Northern Province (Oro), Western (Fly), and the National Capital District.
The Provinces
11. Morobe | |
2. Chimbu (Simbu) | 12. New Ireland* |
3. Eastern Highlands | 13. Northern (Oro Province)* |
4. East New Britain* | 14. Bougainville North Solomons |
5. East Sepik | 15. Southern Highlands |
6. Enga | 16. Western Province (Fly) |
7. Gulf | 17. Western Highlands |
8. Madang | 18. West New Britain |
9. Manus | 19. West Sepik (Sandaun) |
10. Milne Bay | 20. National Capital District* |
*SSH Tour Destinations
For the traveller
Getting There
Air Niugini in code share with Qantas offer services to Papua New Guinea. Recently commenced between Cairns and Port Moresby is regular flights by Airlines of PNG. Domestically, apart from Air Niugini flights to the various provinces other airlines are Airlines of PNG, Islands Nation Air, Trans Niugini Airways, MAF and Regional Air. The international airports are Jackson International Airport, 10kms from the capital at Port Moresby in the National Capital District; and Kagamuga Airport in Mt Hagen Province. Daru Airport is a small airport that takes in charters or third-level airlines from Australia and also does customs clearance. Most hotels will offer courtesy airport transfers for guests.
Bookings and Reservations: South Sea Horizons tour bookings and reservations are conducted through our representative agent, Dive Adventures in Sydney and Melbourne.
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Passports, Visas and Immigration
Ensure that your passport is valid through to your return date home. Tourists are required to have a visa to enter PNG. Currently a 60-day tourist visa is available upon arrival for nationals of many countries including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, UK, USA and most western European countries at Port Moresby airport. To acquire a visa upon arrival, you will need a valid passport, proof of sufficient funds for your stay, an onward airline ticket with confirmed bookings and Kina cash. Alternatively, you may acquire your visa prior to leaving your home country with either the nearest PNG Embassy or in some cases at the Australian Embassy in your country. Be certain your baggage claim checks are clearly marked "POM" for Port Moresby on your international flight into PNG. Allow plenty of time to arrive at the airport to conduct immigration, security, and check-in procedures. On arrival in Port Moresby, the procedure is quite orderly but can take up to one hour. If you have a tight connection, be sure you go to the head of the line in immigration and request special assistance at Jackson's Airport in Port Moresby. Important: The Air Niugini domestic transit counter at Jackson's airport in Port Moresby is located in the Customs Hall for those with connecting flights. For those with domestic connections, check in at the transit counter before leaving the Customs Hall.
Embassy Details
| Australian High Commission Locked Bag 129 Waigani 131, NCD Tel: 3259333 Fax: 3259183 | Indonesian Embassy |
Chinese Embassy | Japanese Embassy PO BOX 1040 Port Moresby 121 Tel: 3211800 Cuthbertson Street (POM) |
Embassy of The Republic of Korea | Philippine Embassy PO BOX 5916 Boroko 111 Tel: 3256414 |
| French Embassy PO BOX 1155 Port Moresby 121 Tel: 3253740 Pruth Street, Korobosea (POM) | United States Embassy PO BOX 1492 Port Moresby 121 Tel: 3211455 Fax: 3213423, 3200637 Location: Douglas Street |
Currency, Credit Cards and Exchange
The unit of currency in PNG is the Kina, pronounced "kee-nah", and sub-units of 100 are called Toea, pronounced "toy-ya". Note denominations are available in K2, K5, K10, K20 and K50.
Kina cash can be acquired at the Foreign Exchange counters at most international ports of departure to PNG. It is strongly recommended you acquire your Kina cash prior to departing for PNG. As it has been known for Foreign Exchange counters at airports to run out of Kina, so it is recommended that you order Kina from your local Foreign Exchange or from your local bank well in advance of departure. When ordering Kina, it is highly recommended that you get mainly small denominations, such as K2, K5 and K10. If your connection time in Port Moresby to your next domestic flight is short, you may not have time for banking. There are also banks in most major centres in PNG Banking hours in PNG are generally from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday through to Friday. Major credit cards (including MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners and JCB) and travellers cheques are accepted at most leading hotels, restaurants and travel agencies.
Health Regulations and Recommendations
The only health requirement is a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever or cholera if arriving from or travelling through infected areas prior to arrival in PNG. Visitors are advised to take malaria precautions, but only your doctor can recommend and prescribe the appropriate medication for you. Although the problem of diarrhoea and dysentery is not as severe in PNG as in some of the neighbouring Asian countries, it is possible you may get some kind of diarrhoea at some stage of your trip. This is normal for travellers whose bodies are adapting to strange food and water. In most cases the problem is short term, not severe and is easily treated.
Insurance and Medical Facilities
All travellers to PNG are strongly recommended to acquire Travellers Insurance for trip cancellation and delays, for baggage loss and damage, and for illness, accident and medical evacuation. Government owned general hospitals, church affiliated hospitals, private doctors, dentists and pharmacies are available in all major centres of the country. A full listing of hospitals, doctors, dentists and pharmacies in various centres are available in the Papua New Guinea Telephone Directory.
Further Reading
Geography
At 462,840 km square, Papua New Guinea is the world's 54th-largest country. Mount Wilhem is the largest peak in PNG and stands at 4,509m (14,793 ft). The country is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at the point of collision of several tectonic plates. The town of Rabaul is surrounded by 6 cone shaped active and semi active volcanoes. In 1994 Tavurvur and Vulcan volcanoes created pyroclastic eruptions resulting in complete devastation of the town.
Ecology
Papua New Guinea is part of the Australasia ecozone, which also includes Australia, New Zealnd, eastern Indonesia, and several Pacific island groups, including the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Geologically, the island of New Guinea is a northern extension of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate, forming part of a single landmass Australia-New Guinea also known as Sahul or Meganesia.
Economy
Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for 72% of export earnongs. Tourism is still a relatively small player but is gradually being recognised as being a growth export opportunity.
Demographics
There are hundreds of ethnic groups indigenous to Papua New Guinea, the majority being from the group known as Papuans, whose ancestors arrived in the New Guinea region tens of thousands of years ago. The others are Austronesians, their ancestors having arrived in the region less than four thousand years ago. There are also Chinese, Europeans, Australians, Filipinos, Sri Linkman's and Indians.
Culture
The three official languages for Papua New Guinea, in addition to over 850 indigenous languages are: -
English
Tok Pisin (Pigeon English) a Creole language developed in the Northern part of New Guinea and New Guinea Islands regions.
Hiri Motu is the third official language used predominantly by locals in the central province and National Capital District.
It is estimated that more than a 1000 different cultural groups exist in PNG. Sea Shells (mis) are no longer the currency of Papua New Guinea, as they were in some regions - Mis were abolished as currency in 1933. This heritage is still present in local customs as a form of dowry payment, initiation offering etc. Sport has been an important part of PNG culture. The national sport, although not official, is considered to be Rugby League. Other sports that form the sporting cultural landscape are Australian Rules, Soccer, Rugby Union and Cricket.
