Mining industry

1 What is the nature and importance of the mining industry in your country?

The country is located to the immediate north of Australia in the Pacific Rim of Fire. It is highly prospective for copper, gold and zinc. Papua New Guinea is host to some world-class gold and copper mines, including the Porgera gold mine, the Ok Tedi copper mine and the Lihir Island gold mine. Between them, these three mines exported a total of 163.8 tons of gold between 2004 and 2006, and in the same period Ok Tedi Mining Ltd exported over 510,000 tons of copper.