Map of Solomon Islands | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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. Current issues include government deficits deforestation and malaria control.


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

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S 159 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 5,313 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Elevation

Natural resources: fish forests gold bauxite phosphates lead zinc nickel

Land use

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: typhoons but they are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity

Geography


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Population: 466,194 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 3.04% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

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

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.04% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 34.79 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 4.35 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 25.26 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Honiara

Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 town*; Central Guadalcanal Honiara* Isabel Makira Malaita Temotu Western

Dependent areas

Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 7 July (1978)

Constitution: 7 July 1978

Legal system: English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: characterized by fluid coalitions; Christian Fellowship [leader NA]; Group for National Unity and Reconciliation or GNUR [leader NA]; Labor Party or LP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; National Action Party of Solomon Islands or NAPSI [leader NA]; National Party [leader NA]; Nationalist Front for Progress or NFP [Andrew NORI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [leader NA]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [leader NA]; Solomon Islands National Unity Reconciliation and Progressive Party or SINURP [Job Duddley TAUSINGA] (leader of opposition); United Party or UP [leader NA]

International 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 representation
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 symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The bulk of the population depend 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. Economic troubles in Southeast Asia led to a steep downturn in the timber industry and economic output declined by about 10% in 1998. The government instituted public service pay cuts and other retrenchments. The economy partially recovered in 1999 on the strength of rising international gold prices and the first full year of the Gold Ridge mining operation. However the closure of the country's major palm oil plantation in mid-year cast a shadow over future prospects.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,650 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: cocoa beans coconuts palm kernels rice potatoes vegetables fruit; cattle pigs; timber; fish

Industries: fish (tuna) mining timber

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 26,842
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 10% (1999 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $142 million (f.o.b. 1998 est.)
Commodities: timber fish palm oil cocoa copra
Partners: Japan 50% Spain 16% UK Thailand 5% (1996)

Imports: $160 million (c.i.f. 1998 est.)
Commodities: plant and equipment manufactured goods food and live animals fuel
Partners: Australia 42% Japan 10% Singapore 9% NZ 8% US 5% (1996)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $135 million (1997)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 5.0745 (January 2000) 4.8381 (1999) 4.8156 (1998) 3.5664 (1997) 3.4059 (1995)


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Electricity
Production: 30 million kWh (1998)
Consumption: 28 million kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 7,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: 230 (1995)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $N/A
Percent of gdp: NA%

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 33 (1999 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs