Benefiting from close proximity to its country’s major air travel portal, Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby serves as the capital city for the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

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

 

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).