Solomon Islands

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

males age 15-49: NA males fit for military service: NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

38,000 (1993 est.)

Telephone system

domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones

5,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

0 (1987 est.)

Televisions

2,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Agriculture

cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish

Budget

revenues: $81.3 million expenditures: $101.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)

Currency

1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economic 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.

Electricity

capacity: 21,000 kW production: 30 million kWh consumption per capita: 80 kWh (1993)

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)

Exports

$94 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: fish 46%, timber 31%, palm oil 5%, cocoa, copra partners: Japan 39%, UK 23%, Thailand 9%, Australia 5%, US 2% (1991)

External debt

$128 million (1988 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

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

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

GDP per capita

$2,590 (1992 est.)

GDP real growth rate

8% (1992 est.)

Imports

$101 million (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: plant and machinery, manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuel partners: Australia 34%, Japan 16%, Singapore 14%, NZ 9%

Industrial production growth rate

-3.8% (1991 est.)

Industries

copra, fish (tuna)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

13% (1994)

Labor force

26,842 by occupation: services 41.5%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 23.7%, commerce, transport, and finance 21.7%, construction, manufacturing, and mining 13.1% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 28,450 sq km land area: 27,540 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Climate

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Coastline

5,313 km

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

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 159 00 E

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 93% other: 4%

Location

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

Terrain

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

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

Capital

Honiara

Constitution

7 July 1978

Data code

BP

Diplomatic representation in US

Solomon Islands do not have an embassy in the US; the ambassador to the US traditionally resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands)

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 was appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament

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

Independence

7 July 1978 (from UK)

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

Judicial branch

High Court

Legal system

common law

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

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

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type of government

parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (male 96,241; female 92,722) 15-64 years: 51% (male 107,482; female 104,293) 65 years and over: 3% (male 6,129; female 6,035) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

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

Languages

Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population note: 120 indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.14 years male: 68.67 years female: 73.74 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

NA

Nationality

noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander

Net migration rate

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

Population

412,902 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

3.35% (1996 est.)

Religions

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

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.)

Total fertility rate

5.43 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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 2 437 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 9 (1995 est.)

Highways

total: 1,300 km paved: 30 km unpaved: 1,270 km note: in addition, there are 800 km of private logging and plantation roads of varied surface (1982 est.)

Merchant marine

none

Ports

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

Railways

0 km