Solomon Islands

 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea

Area

Total area: 28,450 sq km
Land area: 27,540 sq km
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Land Boundaries

0 km

Coastline

5,313 km

Maritime Claims

Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

Continental shelf: 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Terrain

Mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Natural Resources

Fish
Forests
Gold
Bauxite
Phosphates
Lead
Zinc
Nickel

Land Use

Arable land: 1%
Permanent crops: 1%
Meadows and pastures: 1%
Forest and woodland: 93%
Other: 4%

Irrigated Land

Environment

Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
Natural hazards: typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
International agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

PEOPLE

Population

412,902 (July 1996 est.)
399,206 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

46% (male 96,241; female 92,722) (July 1996 est.)
46% (male 93,695; female 90,293) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

51% (male 107,482; female 104,293) (July 1996 est.)
51% (male 103,374; female 100,183) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

3% (male 6,129; female 6,035) (July 1996 est.)
3% (male 5,923; female 5,738) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

3.35% (1996 est.)
3.4% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

37.91 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
38.48 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

4.41 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
4.51 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
26.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 71.14 years (1996 est.), 70.84 years (1995 est.)
Male: 68.67 years 91996 est.), 68.38 years (1995 est.)
Female: 73.74 years (1996 est.), 73.41 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

5.43 children born/woman (1996 est.)
5.59 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Solomon Islander(s)
Adjective: Solomon Islander

Ethnic Divisions

Melanesian 93%
Polynesian 4%
Micronesian 1.5%
European 0.8%
Chinese 0.3%
Other 0.4%

Religions

Anglican 34%
Roman Catholic 19%
Baptist 17%
United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%
Seventh-Day Adventist 10%
Other Protestant 5%
Traditional beliefs 4%

Languages

Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population

Note: 120 indigenous languages

Literacy

Labor Force

26,842

By occupation:

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 23.7%
Services 41.5%
Construction, manufacturing, and mining 13.1%
Commerce, transport, and finance 21.7% (1992)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Solomon Islands
Former: British Solomon Islands

Digraph

Type

Parliamentary democracy

Capital

Honiara

Administrative Divisions

7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western

note: there may be two new provinces of Choiseul (Lauru) and Rennell/Bellona and the administrative unit of Honiara may have been abolished

Independence

7 July 1978 (from U.K.)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Constitution

7 July 1978

Legal System

Common law

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) is a hereditary monarch, represented by Governor General Moses PITAKAKA (since 10 June 1994) who was appointed for up to five years by the queen on the advice of Parliament
Head of government: Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 7 November 1994) was elected by and from Parliament; Deputy Prime Minister Danny PHILIP (since NA October 1995) was appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister from members of parliament

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Parliament

Elections last held 26 May 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) GNUR 21, PAP 7, NAPSI 5, SILP 4, UP 4, independents 6

Judicial Branch

High Court

Political Parties and Leaders

National Unity and Reconciliation Group (GNUR), Solomon MAMALONI; People's Alliance Party (PAP); National Action Party (NAPSI), leader NA; Solomon Islands Labor Party (SILP), leader NA; United Party (UP), leader NA; Nationalist Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew NORI; Labor Party (LP), Joses TUHANUKU; Christian Fellowship, leader NA

Member of

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

National Anthem

Flag

Divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green

ECONOMY

Overview

The bulk of the population depend on subsistence 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. The government of the Solomon Islands is nearing financial insolvency. In mid-1995 the central bank suspended interest and principal payments on government bonds and treasury bills held by financial institutions and the general public. The government has taken no steps to restrain expenditure or address the deficit, which is expected to be considerably higher than the $20 million forecasted in the 1996 budget.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1992 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

8% (1992)

National Product Per Capita

$2,590 (1992 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

13% (1992 est.)

Unemployment Rate

Budget

Revenues: $81.3 million (1995 est.), $48 million (1991 est.)
Expenditures: $101.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.), $107 million, including capital expenditures of $45 million (1991 est.)

Exports

$94 million (f.o.b., 1993)
$84 million (f.o.b., 1991)

Commodities:

Fish 46%
Timber 31%
Palm oil 5%
Cocoa
Copra

Partners:

Japan 39%
U.K. 23%
Thailand 9%
Australia 5%
U.S. 2% (1991)

Imports

$101 million (c.i.f., 1993)
$110 million (c.i.f., 1991)

Commodities:

Plant and machinery
Manufactured goods
Food and live animals
Fuel

Partners:

Australia 34%
Japan 16%
Singapore 14%
NZ 9%

External Debt

$128 million (1988 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate -3.8% (1991 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP

Electricity

Capacity: 21,000 kW
Production: 30 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 80 kWh (1993)

Industries

Copra
Fish (tuna)

Agriculture

Including fishing and forestry, accounts for 31% of GDP; mostly subsistence farming; cash crops - cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, timber; other products - rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs; not self-sufficient in food grains; 90% of the total fish catch of 44,500 metric tons was exported (1988)

Economic Aid

Recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $250 million

Currency

1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents

Exchange Rates

Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 3.3713 (2d quarter 1995), 3.2914 (1994), 3.1877 (1993), 2.9281 (1992), 2.7148 (1991), 2.5288 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Total: 1,300 km
Paved: 30 km
Unpaved: gravel 290 km; earth 980 km

Note: In addition, there are 800 km of private logging and plantation roads of varied construction (1982)

Ports

Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina

Merchant Marine

None

Airports

Total: 30
With paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 18
With unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 9 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

5,000 telephones (1991 est.)

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 38,000 (1993 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: 2,000 (1992 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

No regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)

Defense Expenditures

History
World Atlas

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