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Background:
|
 The
UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the
1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred
on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and
independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government
malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and
civil society. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA
sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and
order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational
force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. |
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Location:
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Oceania,
group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New
Guinea |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 00
S, 159 00 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania |
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Area:
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total:
28,450 sq km
water: 910 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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5,313
km |
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Climate:
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tropical
monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather |
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Terrain:
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mostly
rugged mountains with some low coral atolls |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish,
forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 1.5%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other: 97.86% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq
km |
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Natural hazards:
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typhoons,
but rarely destructive; geologically active region with
frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation;
soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or
dying |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the
Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea |
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Population:
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523,617 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816)
15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
18.4 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 18.5 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.76% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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31.6 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.04 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
22.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 72.38 years
male: 69.9 years
female: 74.98 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander |
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Ethnic groups:
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Melanesian 93%,
Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%,
other 0.4% |
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Religions:
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Anglican 45%,
Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%,
Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%,
indigenous beliefs 4% |
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Languages:
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Melanesian pidgin
in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official
but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population
note: 120 indigenous languages |
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Literacy:
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definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands
former: British Solomon Islands |
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Government type:
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parliamentary
democracy tending toward anarchy |
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Capital:
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Honiara |
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Administrative divisions:
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9 provinces and 1
capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*,
Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western |
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Independence:
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7 July 1978 (from
UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
7 July (1978) |
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Constitution:
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7 July 1978 |
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Legal system:
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English common
law, which is widely disregarded |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir John LAPLI (since NA 1999)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor
general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament
for up to five years; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority
coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament;
deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the prime minister from among the members of
Parliament
cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by
the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from
among the members of Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA
(since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI
(since 17 December 2001) |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from
single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%,
SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2,
SILP 1, independents 18
elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held
not later than December 2005) |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Association of
Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP
[Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh
Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change
Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands
Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]
note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is
characterized by fluid coalitions |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeremiah
MANELE
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY
10017
FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not
have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993);
the ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS,
is accredited to the Solomon Islands |
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Government - note:
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June 2003 Prime
Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of
Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the
request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia,
New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July
2003 |
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Economy - overview:
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The bulk of the
population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for
at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured goods and
petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in
undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and
gold. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key
business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have
led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker
deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for
electrical generation) have become sporadic due to the
government's inability to pay and attacks against ships.
Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills
and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of
whom have left the country. The disintegration of law and
order left the economy in tatters by mid-2003, and on 24 July
2003 more than 2000 Australian soldiers entered the Solomon
Islands to restore order and to facilitate the restoration of
basic services. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $800 million (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-10% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $1,700 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
42%
industry: 11%
services: 47% (2000 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% (FY95/96
est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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9% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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26,842 (1999) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 75%,
industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$38 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA (2001) |
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Industries:
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fish (tuna),
mining, timber |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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32 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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29.76 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,250 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cocoa beans,
coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit;
cattle, pigs; timber; fish |
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Exports:
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$90 million
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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timber, fish,
copra, palm oil, cocoa |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 21.1%,
China 18.9%, South Korea 15.6%, Philippines 10%, Thailand
7.8%, Singapore 4.4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$100 million
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food, plant and
equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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Australia 32.3%,
Singapore 20.2%, Fiji 5.1%, New Zealand 5.1%, Papua New Guinea
4% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$162.5 million
(2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$23 million
annually, mainly from Australia (2000-03 est.) |
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Currency:
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Solomon Islands
dollar (SBD) |
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Currency code:
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SBD |
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Exchange rates:
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Solomon Islands
dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 6.75 (2002), 5.28 (2001),
5.09 (2000), 4.84 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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6,600
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1,000
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 677; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 3,
FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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0
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.sb |
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Internet hosts:
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470
(2002) |
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Internet users:
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2,200
(2002) |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total:
1,360 km
paved: 34 km
unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Aola Bay,
Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina |
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Merchant marine:
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none |
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Airports:
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33 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 21 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no regular
military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and
Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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Australian
defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of the
Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the
islands and reinforce regional security |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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