Air travel is an essential mode of transportation in Papua New Guinea, a mountainous country located on the eastern half of an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and north of Australia. There are few roads linking Port Moresby with other Papua New Guinean cities or towns and villages.
Nicknames for Port Moresby include “Pom City” and “Moresby”. Its mother country Papua New Guinea is called the “Land of a Thousand Cultures” reflecting more than 600 scenic islands and coral reefs, as well as a diverse population speaking over 800 languages.
Research website numbeo lacks sufficient data to rank the Papua New Guinean capital on its comprehensive global quality of life rating which benchmarks 250 cities worldwide. Numbeo does evaluate Port Moresby on several individual factors. For instance, Port Moresby’s safety score ranks in the bottom two after South Africa’s Pretoria confirming its reputation as a dangerous city for violent crime. Ranking in the lowest 11%, Port Moresby has severe pollution levels while suffering from the worst health care score compared to any rated city. Port Moresby also finished in the bottom two for purchasing power while its average property price to income ratio is off-the-charts high.
Port Moresby was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the site where New Zealand won their 5th OFC Nations Cup by defeating the Papua New Guinean team via penalty shootout on June 11, 2011. That victory set a global record for most wins in OFC Nations Cup men’s soccer (also called football).
From an international trade perspective, Papua New Guinea exported an estimated US$11.8 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports of liquefied natural gas (37.8% of its global total), gold (21.8%), copper ores and concentrates (6.8%), crude oil (5.7%), nickel metallurgy products (4.6%), tropical wood (4.1%), crude palm oil (2.9%), light petroleum oils (2.7%), and rough wood (1.8%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Port Moresby shows encouraging signs of development. Its planned Paga Hill Estate in the heart of the city is a world-class waterfront site will include top-notch public spaces and luxury hotels, condos, retail and commercial properties as well as an international cruise liner terminal.
Capital Facts for Port Moresby: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Port Moresby Nature Park, National Parliament House, National Museum and Art Gallery and Sir John Guise Stadium
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
- Amy Sheppard, singer-songwriter (born Sep. 22, 1990)
- Erika Heynatz, TV host, actress & singer (born Mar. 25, 1975)
- Abel Redenut, soccer player/footballer (born Apr. 17, 1995)
- Henari Veratau, rugby player (born Jan. 3, 1984)
- Reggie Davani, soccer player/footballer (born Feb. 5, 1980)
- Will Genia, rugby player (born Jan. 17, 1988)
- Joshua Talau, soccer player/footballer (born Apr. 19, 1996)
- David Mead, rugby player (born Nov. 4, 1988)
- Andrew Lepani, soccer player/footballer (born Aug. 28, 1979)
- Reggie Davani, soccer player/footballer (born Feb. 5, 1980)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a resident of Papua New Guinea: Papua New Guinean
Population: 382,516 (Port Moresby) at July 31, 2020
Density: 4,250 people per square mile (1,641 per square kilometer)
Population: 8,961,894 (Papua New Guinea) at July 31, 2020
Density: 51 people per square mile (20 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Papua New Guinea: 22.4 years old
Financial
GDP: US$34.3 billion for 2019 (Papua New Guinea)
GDP per person: $3,983
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Port Moresby were unavailable.
Official currency used in Port Moresby: Papua New Guinean kina
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook East & Southeast Asia: Papua New Guinea.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Most wins of the men’s football (soccer) OFC Nations Cup.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, National Capital District Commission.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Port Moresby.
Wikipedia, Papua New Guinea.
WorldOMeter, Papua New Guinea Population.
World Population Review, Port Moresby Population.
Papua New Guinea gained its independence from an Australian-administered UN trusteeship on September 16, 1975. Fittingly named Independence Day, Papua New Guineans celebrate each September 16 as a national holiday.
Port Moresby’s land area measures 90 square miles (233.1 square kilometers) with an estimated population of 382,516 residents as of July 31, 2020.
Papua Guinea’s national population was about 9 million inhabitants at July 2020. The country’s land area equals 174,850 square miles (452,860 square kilometers).
Population density is more concentrated within Port Moresby, averaging 4,250 residents per square mile (1,641 per square kilometer).
Given the many remote areas at the country level, Papua New Guinea’s overall population density dilutes to an average 51 people per square mile (20 per square kilometer).
