Part 655

@Papua New Guinea:Communications

Telephones: 63,212 (1986 est.)

Telephone system: services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: mostly radiotelephone international: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service

Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios: 298,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1

Televisions: 10,000 (1992 est.)

@Papua New Guinea:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total : 19,400 km paved: 660 km unpaved: 18,740 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 10,940 km

Ports and harbors: Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul

Merchant marine: total: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,614 GRT/29,643 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 3, combination ore/oil 5, container 1, roll-on/roll-off 1 (1996 est.)

Airports: 451 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total : 387 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 370 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 64 1,524 to 2,437 m : 12 914 to 1,523 m: 52 (1996 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, and Special Forces Unit)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,174,591 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 653,179 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $63 million (1997); note - includes $12 million to cover leftover 1996 expenditures

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none ______________________________________________________________________

PARACEL ISLANDS

@Paracel Islands:Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines