SOPAC country profile : Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Papua New Guinea (PNG) comprises the eastern half of the New Guinea mainland, the world’s largest tropical island, along with an archipelago of additional three islands and 600-odd lesser islets and atolls. It lies in the Southwest Pacific Ocean within an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 3 120 000 sq km and has a total land area of 462 243 sq km. The islands are high islands of volcanic origin with a maximum height of 4 496 m above sea level. PNG has an extensive system of water bodies ranging from deltas, lagoons, rivers, marshes and over 5 000 lakes