Papua New Guinea

The Papua New Guinea National flag was made by a 15 year old girl who won a contest. The flag was formally adopted in 1971, is rectangular in proportion of four to three. It is divided diagonally from the top to the hoist to the bottom of the fly. On the upper part appears a yellow ” Kumul “, Bird of Paradise on the red background. On the yellow part are five stars representing the Southern Cross, on the black background. Black, red and yellow are traditional colors in Papua New Guinea.

The Bird of Paradise plays and important role in the social and cultural activities of many groups in the country and its plumes are often used as ceremonial decoration. On the flag it is shown soaring above the Southern Cross, with display plumes trailing, symbolizing Papua New Guinea’s emergence into nationhood.

The Southern Cross is the constellation notable in the night skies of Papua New Guinea and other countries of the Southern Hemisphere. It appears on the flag to signify the country’s historical relationship with other nations of the South Pacific.

Area 
462,840 sq km (178,703.5 sq miles).

Population Density
14.16 per sq km.

Capital 
Port Moresby.

Population: 338,000 (estimate 2014)

Currency 
Kina (K) = 100 toea. Kina notes are in denominations of K100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 2. Coins are in denominations of K1 and 50, 20, 10, and 5 centavos.

Geography 
The Independent State of Papua New Guinea is in the Pacific; Australiais to the south and the Solomon Islands are to the east. Papua New Guinea shares the island of New Guinea with Indonesia. Islands belonging to Papua New Guinea include Bougainville, New Britain and New Ireland. Port Moresby is the capital and Lae is Papua New Guinea’s second largest city. Other cities are Madang, Rabaul and Wewak. The terrain is mountainous with coastal lowlands. The principal rivers include the Fly, Sepik and Ramu.

Government
Constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm.

Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor Michael Ogio since 2011.

Head of Government: Prime Minister Peter Paire O’Neill since 2011.

Language
Tok Pisin, English, and Hiri Motu are the official languages, with 836 indigenous languages also spoken.

Religion 
70 per cent Protestant, with a large Roman Catholic presence.

Electricity 
220-240 volts AC, 60Hz. Electrical outlets are the “Type I” Australian type. Plugs are flat three-pin with two diagonal and one horizontal.

Lowlands: Average Low 73.F – Average High 90.F

Highlands: Average Low 72.F – Average High 86.F
The climate of Papua New Guinea is tropical with northwest monsoons from December to March and southeast monsoons from May to October. Rainfall varies throughout the islands and temperature varies according to altitude.