Statistical information Solomon Islands 1997

Solomon Islands in the World
top of pageBackground: In 1893, Britain made the southern Solomon Islands a protectorate. Other islands were added to the group, including some ceded to Britain by Germany. The Solomon Islands were occupied by the Japanese during World War II. Following the war, internal self-government was established in 1976, and independence from the UK came two years later. Current issues include government deficits, deforestation, and malaria control.
top of pageLocation: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 159 00 E
Map reference:
OceaniaAreaTotal: 28,450 km²
Land: 27,540 km²
Water: 910 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller 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
Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Land useArable land: 1%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 1%
Forests and woodland: 88%
Other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Geographytop of pagePopulation: 426,855 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 3.3% (1997 est.)
NationalityNoun: Solomon Islander(s)
Adjective: Solomon Islander
Ethnic groups: Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Languages: Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population
Note: 120 indigenous languages
Religions: Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other Protestant 5%, traditional beliefs 4%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 45% (male 98,797; female 95,162)
15-64 years: 52% (male 111,702; female 108,505)
65 years and over: 3% (male 6,345; female 6,344) (July 1997 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 3.3% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 37.3 births/1000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 4.31 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt 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 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 24.9 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 71.45 years
Male: 68.96 years
Female: 74.07 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.27 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Solomon Islands
Former: British Solomon Islands
Government 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
Dependent areasIndependence: 7 July 1978 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution: 7 July 1978
Legal system: common law
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Moses PITAKAKA (since 10 June 1994)
Head of government: Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 7 November 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Francis SAEMALA (since NA February 1997)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
Elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen 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
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (47 seats; members elected from single member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 26 May 1993 (next to be held 6 August 1997)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GNUR 21, PAP 7, NAPSI 5, SILP 4, UP 4, independents 6
Judicial branch: High Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: 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, WTrO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen Rex HOROI (represents the country as both the Permanent Representative to the UN and the ambassador to the US)
In the us chancery: Permanent Mission of the Solomon Islands to the UN, 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 599-6,193
In the us FAX: [1] (212) 661-8,925
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands
Flag description
: 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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy 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 so far 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.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 4.5% (1996 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,000 (1996 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%
Agriculture products: cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Industries: copra, fish (tuna)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Labor forceTotal: 26,842
By occupation services: 41.5%
By occupation agriculture forestry and fishing: 23.7%
By occupation commerce transport andfinance: 21.7%
By occupation construction andmining: 13.1% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $147 million
Expenditures: $168 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExportsTotal value: $170 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Commodities: timber, fish, palm oil, cocoa, copra
Partners: Japan 39%, UK 23%, Thailand 9%, Australia 5%, US 2% (1991)
ImportsTotal value: $152 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
Commodities: plant and machinery, manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuel
Partners: Australia 34%, Japan 16%, Singapore 14%, NZ 9%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $100 million (1995 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 3.7900 (November 1996), 3.4059 (1995), 3.2914 (1994), 3.1877 (1993), 2.9281 (1992)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 20,000 kW (1994)
Production: 55 million kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: NA kWh
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 5,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone systemDomestic: NA
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 29 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 19
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 17 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 10
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9 (1996 est.)
HeliportsPipelinesRailways: 0 km
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine: none
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs