In extreme rainfall areas, such as New Britain, the annual rainfall can exceed 6m per year. Other habitats include savana, delta plains, mangrove swamps and, in the surrounding waters, coral atolls. The lowland rainforests, in particular, give rise to a rich diversity of plant and animal life. PNG is a relatively young country, gaining its independence from Australia in 1975 and, after 23 years, the country is relatively stable politically and economically. Yet, despite its wealth of resources and exports of gold, copper, oil and timber, most of PNG's people still survive by subsistence agriculture.
Infant mortality is high and life expectancy is among the lowest in the Pacific.
Large numbers of people live in rural, often inaccessible areas and many of those living in and around cities remain without access to clean water and sanitation. Exploitation of the natural resources has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing an infrastructure. Budgetary support from Australia and development aid under the auspices of the World Bank have helped sustain the economy but the value of the currency, the kina, has fallen sharply, prompting high inflation. The strength of the dollar also means an increase in the burden of debts with millions of extra kina having to be found to service loan obligations each year. The country has traditionally relied on primary exports, which are vulnerable to external factors, such as world price fluctuations or bad weather.