Papua New Guinea

American  

noun

1. an independent republic in the W Pacific Ocean, comprising the E part of New Guinea and numerous near-lying islands, including the Bismarck Archipelago, the Admiralty Islands, the Trobriand Islands, and Bougainville and Buka in the Solomon Islands: a former Australian Trusteeship Territory; independent since 1975; member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 178,260 sq. mi. (461,693 sq. km). Port Moresby.

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Papua New Guinea British  

noun

1. a country in the SW Pacific; consists of the E half of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the W Solomon Islands, Trobriand Islands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Woodlark Island, and the Louisiade Archipelago; administered by Australia from 1949 until 1975, when it became an independent member of the Commonwealth. Official language: English; Tok Pisin (English Creole) and Motu are widely spoken. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: kina. Capital: Port Moresby. Pop: 6 431 902 (2013 est). Area: 461 693 sq km (178 260 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

The company has secured a 15-year bareboat charter to provide a floating storage and offloading unit in Papua New Guinea, the country’s first offshore floating facility, it notes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Samoa will become the eighth country to open its mission in Jerusalem, and the third from the Pacific region after Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026

What’s more, we’re one of the only countries in the entire world that does not mandate any paid parental leave, alongside Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Tonga, and just a few others.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2026

Because mussels dominate the area, the research team and local observer Stanis Konabe from the University of Papua New Guinea named the site 'Karambusel'.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2025

It remained confined to Ethiopia until it caught on in Arabia and then around the world, to sustain today the economies of countries as far-flung as Brazil and Papua New Guinea.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond