Location: Southeastern Asia, just north of Australia, between Indonesia and the Solomon Islands

Map references: Oceania, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 461,690 sq km
land area: 451,710 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries: total 820 km, Indonesia 820 km

Coastline: 5,152 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Natural resources: gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil potential

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 71%
other: 28%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: deforestation; pollution from mining projects
natural hazards: some active volcanoes; frequent earthquakes
international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Note: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast

NOTE: The information regarding Papua New Guinea on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Papua New Guinea Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Papua New Guinea Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.