Part 652

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 493,819 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $78 million (1995); note - for police and security forces

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: major cocaine transshipment point and major drug money-laundering center; minor producer of coca leaf; active eradication program ______________________________________________________________________

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

@Papua New Guinea:Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, 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

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 147 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water : 9,980 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries: total: 820 km border countries : Indonesia 820 km

Coastline: 5,152 km

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

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

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

Land use: arable land : 0.1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 92.9% other : 6% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides

Environment - current issues: rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects

Environment - international agreements: party to : Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

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

@Papua New Guinea:People

Population: 4,496,221 (July 1997 est.)