Overview
Papua New Guinea (PNG), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country located in Oceania. It comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea along with hundreds of offshore islands, situated within Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. The country covers a total land area of 462,840 square kilometers (178,700 square miles), making it one of the larger nations in the Pacific region.
Geography and Borders
Papua New Guinea shares a land border with Indonesia to the west, as the western half of the island of New Guinea belongs to Indonesia. The country also has maritime borders with Australia to the south and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its territory is diverse, consisting of a large mainland region combined with numerous surrounding islands scattered across the Melanesian portion of the Pacific Ocean.
- Land border: Indonesia (west)
- Maritime border: Australia (south)
- Maritime border: Solomon Islands (east)
Capital City
The capital of Papua New Guinea is Port Moresby, which serves as the country's political, economic, and administrative center.
Regional Context
Papua New Guinea is often grouped within Melanesia, one of the three major cultural and geographic subregions of Oceania, alongside Polynesia and Micronesia. Its location places it at a crossroads between Southeast Asia and the broader Pacific island world, contributing to its unique position within the region.