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Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea: facts and figures
Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea. It has about 380,000 residents, which makes it the 146th most populous capital of the 172 in DailyGeo's atlas, and it sits 68 m above sea level. Its nearest neighbouring capital is Port Vila, 2,461 km away.
Key figures
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Country | Papua New Guinea |
| Continent | Oceania |
| City population | 380,000 residents |
| World rank by population | 146th of 172 |
| Elevation | 68 m |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Time zone | Pacific/Port_Moresby |
| Coordinates | 9.44° S, 147.18° E |
| Country population | 10,762,817 residents |
| Country GDP | 32.5 billion US dollars |
| GDP per capita | $3,020 |
| Life expectancy | 66.3 years |
| Internet users | 18.8 % |
| Big Mac price | not reported |
Climate through the year
Port Moresby averages 25.5 °C from June to August and 26.8 °C from December to February. August is the coldest month of the year and December the warmest, and the city receives 1,693 mm of precipitation in an average year.
| Month | Mean temperature |
|---|---|
| January | 26.8 °C |
| February | 26.6 °C |
| March | 26.3 °C |
| April | 26.2 °C |
| May | 26.3 °C |
| June | 25.8 °C |
| July | 25.4 °C |
| August | 25.3 °C |
| September | 25.8 °C |
| October | 26.2 °C |
| November | 26.8 °C |
| December | 27.0 °C |
What makes it stand out
- Size: 3rd most populous capital in Oceania (380,000 residents).
- Size: 3rd least populous capital in Oceania (380,000 residents).
- Elevation: 2nd highest capital in Oceania (68 m).
- Winter: mildest capital in Oceania (25.5 °C).
- Summer: hottest capital in Oceania (26.8 °C).
- Rainfall: 3rd wettest capital in Oceania (1,693 mm).
- Rainfall: 3rd driest capital in Oceania (1,693 mm).
- Latitude: northernmost capital in Oceania (9.44°).
- Isolation: most isolated capital in the world (2,461 km).
Nearest capitals
Distances are great-circle distances between city centres, which is what the Capitals game measures when it tells you how far a guess was from the answer. Port Vila is the closest capital to Port Moresby.
| Capital | Country | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Port Vila | Vanuatu | 2,461 km |
| Canberra | Australia | 2,880 km |
| Suva | Fiji | 3,506 km |
| Bandar Seri Begawan | Brunei | 3,912 km |
| Manila | Philippines | 3,936 km |
How to remember it
Reading a figure once rarely fixes it in memory. Attach Port Moresby to a place and a number you already know: it is 2,461 km from Port Vila, and it is the 146th largest capital in the atlas. Then practise retrieving it. DailyGeo Capitals gives you one mystery capital a day with distance, direction, language and population clues, the memorising method explains the review schedule, and the capitals index lists all 172.
To see how Papua New Guinea compares with every other country on figures like these, the richest countries by GDP per capita ranks them on geopolitix, a country-ranking game by the same maker as DailyGeo.
Sources
- City population and coordinates: DailyGeo's own game data, the same figures the Capitals game plays with. Population follows the urban area rather than the commune, which is why no density is quoted.
- Temperature and rainfall: ten-year means (2015 to 2024) computed from ERA5 reanalysis, retrieved through Open-Meteo. Hersbach, H., et al. (2020). The ERA5 global reanalysis. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.
- Elevation: terrain height at the city's coordinates in the Copernicus DEM, read through Open-Meteo rather than taken from a curated claim.
- Time zone: resolved from the same coordinates.
- Country figures: the World Bank, latest reported year for each series: Country GDP, GDP per capita, Country population, Life expectancy, Internet users.
- Founding date: Wikidata, earliest recorded founding claim.
- This capital elsewhere: Wikipedia, UNdata, Wikidata.
- Method and limits: How this data was collected explains how each figure was collected and what it does not cover.
The short answer
Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea, in Oceania, with about 380,000 residents, averaging 25.5 °C from June to August and 26.8 °C from December to February.
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Play today's DailyGeo puzzleFrequently asked questions
What is the capital of Papua New Guinea?
Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea. It has about 380,000 residents and lies in Oceania.
How many people live in Port Moresby?
About 380,000, which ranks Port Moresby 146th of the 172 capitals in DailyGeo's atlas by city population.
What is the weather like in Port Moresby?
Port Moresby averages 25.5 °C from June to August and 26.8 °C from December to February, with 1,693 mm of precipitation a year. These are ten-year means from ERA5 reanalysis.
How expensive is Port Moresby?
GDP per capita in the country is $3,020, the latest year the World Bank reports.
Keep learning
- Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu: facts and figures
Port Vila is the capital of Vanuatu: 50,000 residents, 42 m above sea level, 23.3 °C from June to August and 26.2 °C from December to February. Key figures and sources.
- Canberra, capital of Australia: facts and figures
Canberra is the capital of Australia: 460,000 residents, 574 m above sea level, 6.0 °C in winter and 19.8 °C in summer. Key figures and sources.
- Suva, capital of Fiji: facts and figures
Suva is the capital of Fiji: 180,000 residents, 44 m above sea level, 23.1 °C from June to August and 25.9 °C from December to February. Key figures and sources.
- Capitals of the world: the full list by continent
Every capital in DailyGeo's atlas, grouped by continent, with population, elevation and winter and summer temperatures, each linking to its own data page.