Solomon Islands

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

57,000 (1997)

Telephone system

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

Telephones - main lines in use

7,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

230 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

0 (1997)

Televisions

3,000 (1997)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $147 million expenditures: $168 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Currency

1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$135 million (1997)

Economic aid - recipient

$46.4 million (1995)

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.

Electricity - consumption

28 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

30 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)

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)

Exports

$142 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports - commodities

timber, fish, palm oil, cocoa, copra

Exports - partners

Japan 50%, Spain 16%, UK, Thailand 5% (1996)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.21 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 50% industry: 3.5% services: 46.5% (1995)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,650 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$160 million (c.i.f., 1998 est.)

Imports - commodities

plant and equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuel

Imports - partners

Australia 42%, Japan 10%, Singapore 9%, NZ 8%, US 5% (1996)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10% (1999 est.)

Labor force

26,842

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Coastline

5,313 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 159 00 E

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 88% other: 9% (1993 est.)

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 hazards

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

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

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

Country name

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

Data code

BP

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

Diplomatic representation in 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) chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Father John LAPLI (since NA 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU (since 27 August 1997); Deputy Prime Minister Sir Baddeley DEVESI (since 27 August 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament 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

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

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, WTrO

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal

Legal system

English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 August 1997 (next to be held by August 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GNUR 21, PAP 7, NAPSI 5, SILP 4, UP 4, independents 6, other 3

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

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]

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

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.

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Age structure

0-14 years: 44% (male 105,024; female 101,065) 15-64 years: 53% (male 124,627; female 121,358) 65 years and over: 3% (male 6,935; female 7,185) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

34.79 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

4.35 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

25.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 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: 71.28 years male: 68.86 years female: 73.81 years (2000 est.)

Literacy

definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

466,194 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

3.04% (2000 est.)

Religions

Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous 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: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.8 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Airports

33 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 21 (1999 est.)

Highways

total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (includes about 800 km of private plantation roads) (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

none (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors

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

Railways

0 km