Having been ruled by three external powers since 1884, Papua New Guinea established its sovereignty in 1975. This followed nearly 60 years of Australian administration, which started during World War I.
It became an independent Commonwealth realm in 1975, with Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State, also became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in its own right.
A country in located in Oceania, it comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia.
Its capital, located along its south-eastern coast, is Port Moresby.
It is the world’s third largest island country with an area of 178,700m².
