Melanesia · PNG

Papua New Guinea

The story · 9 chapters

How it was drawn

Three empires split eastern New Guinea along straight lines in 1884. Australia joined the pieces, and they became one independent state in 1975.

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Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Papua New Guinea fought or stood against, from the first to today.

British Empire1884 to 1906
Britain proclaims a protectorate over southeastern New Guinea in 1884, pressed by Queensland, which feared German expansion. It annexes the territory as British New Guinea in 1888 and hands it to Australia in 1906.
German Empire1884 to 1914
Germany claims northeastern New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago in 1884, first run by the New Guinea Company. Plantations rely on recruited labour. Australian troops end German rule in September 1914 after a fight at Bita Paka.
Australia1906 to 1975
Australia rules Papua from 1906 and German New Guinea from 1914, under League and then United Nations supervision. Pressure from Papua New Guineans and the United Nations leads it to grant self government in 1973 and independence in 1975.
Empire of Japan1942 to 1945
Japan seizes Rabaul in January 1942 and pushes toward Port Moresby, but is stopped on the Kokoda Track and at Milne Bay. Fighting across the mainland and islands goes on until 1945.
Indonesia1963 to 1984
When Indonesia takes over western New Guinea in 1963, Papua New Guinea gains a new neighbour along the 141st meridian. Fighting between the Indonesian army and Papuan independence fighters sends thousands of refugees across the border, notably in 1984.
Bougainville separatistsSince 1988Still open
Anger over the Panguna copper mine turns into a war for independence led by the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, from 1988 to 1998. The 2001 peace agreement promised a referendum; in 2019 almost 98 percent voted for independence, which the national parliament has not yet granted.

Today

Papua New Guinea now

Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea; the western half is part of Indonesia. PNG was first settled between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. Its harsh geography of mountains, jungles, and numerous river valleys kept many of the arriving groups isolated, giving rise to PNG’s ethnic and linguistic diversity. , Austronesian voyagers settled along the coast.

Capital: Port Moresby
Government: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Head of government: James Marape
Head of state: Charles III
Languages: Tok Pisin, Papua New Guinean Sign Language, Hiri Motu

Through time

Then and now

Population10.4 million2023 · 1.5 million in 1950
Life expectancy66.1 years2023 · 39.4 years in 1950
Living in cities16%2025 · 2% in 1950
Literacy87%2022 · 8% in 1950
Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
Military spending0.4% of GDP2025
War deaths0.3 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

Australia
United States
Japan
China
France

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 24 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Papua New Guinea fought or stood against, from the first to today.

British Empire1884 to 1906

Britain proclaims a protectorate over southeastern New Guinea in 1884, pressed by Queensland, which feared German expansion. It annexes the territory as British New Guinea in 1888 and hands it to Australia in 1906.

German Empire1884 to 1914

Germany claims northeastern New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago in 1884, first run by the New Guinea Company. Plantations rely on recruited labour. Australian troops end German rule in September 1914 after a fight at Bita Paka.

Australia1906 to 1975

Australia rules Papua from 1906 and German New Guinea from 1914, under League and then United Nations supervision. Pressure from Papua New Guineans and the United Nations leads it to grant self government in 1973 and independence in 1975.

Empire of Japan1942 to 1945

Japan seizes Rabaul in January 1942 and pushes toward Port Moresby, but is stopped on the Kokoda Track and at Milne Bay. Fighting across the mainland and islands goes on until 1945.

Indonesia1963 to 1984

When Indonesia takes over western New Guinea in 1963, Papua New Guinea gains a new neighbour along the 141st meridian. Fighting between the Indonesian army and Papuan independence fighters sends thousands of refugees across the border, notably in 1984.

Bougainville separatistsSince 1988Still open

Anger over the Panguna copper mine turns into a war for independence led by the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, from 1988 to 1998. The 2001 peace agreement promised a referendum; in 2019 almost 98 percent voted for independence, which the national parliament has not yet granted.

Papua New Guinea now

Capital

Port Moresby

Government

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Head of government

James Marape

Head of state

Charles III

Languages

Tok Pisin, Papua New Guinean Sign Language, Hiri Motu

Then and now

Population10.4 million2023 · 1.5 million in 1950

Life expectancy66.1 years2023 · 39.4 years in 1950

Living in cities16%2025 · 2% in 1950

Literacy87%2022 · 8% in 1950

Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950

Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950

Military spending0.4% of GDP2025

War deaths0.3 per 100,0002025