2002 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2002 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the most bitter fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society.
Geography
Area
total: 28,450 sq km water: 910 sq km land: 27,540 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; many 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
Geography - note
strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% other: 98% (1998 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 territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM continental shelf: 200 NM
Natural hazards
typhoons, but 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
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 43.4% (male 109,339; female 105,170) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 134,125; female 130,804) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,467; female 7,881) (2002 est.)
Birth rate
33.26 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate
4.19 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Ethnic groups
Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA%
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
23.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Languages
Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population note: 120 indigenous languages
Life expectancy at birth
74.39 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (2002 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 (2002 est.)
Population
494,786 (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate
2.91% (2002 est.)
Religions
Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, 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: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul (Lauru), Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell/Bellona, Temotu, Western
Capital
Honiara
Constitution
7 July 1978
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands
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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeremiah MANELE 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone:
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir John LAPLI (since NA 1999) 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 cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament head of government: Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001)
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 tending toward anarchy
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, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal
Legal system
English common law, which is widely disregarded
Legislative branch
unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18 elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held by December 2005)
National holiday
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Political parties and leaders
Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
Suffrage
21 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Budget
revenues: $38 million (2001) expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Currency
Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Currency code
SBD
Debt - external
$137 million (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$28 million mainly from Japan, Australia, China, and NZ (2001 est.)
Economy - overview
The bulk of the population depends 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. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation) have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of whom have left the country.
Electricity - consumption
29.76 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production
32 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Exchange rates
Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 5.3728 (December 2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999), 4.8156 (1998), 3.7169 (1997)
Exports
$165 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities
timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners
Japan 22%, China 15%, Philippines 13%, South Korea 12%, UK 12%, Thailand 5% (2000)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
-10% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$152 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities
plant and equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners
Australia 27%, Singapore 25%, NZ 5.5%, Japan 5.3%, US 5.1% (2000)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
fish (tuna), mining, timber
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7.9% (2001 est.)
Labor force
26,842
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Internet country code
.sb
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
3,000 (2000)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios
57,000 (1997)
Telephone system
general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use
8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular
658 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
0 (1997)
Televisions
3,000 (1997)
Transportation
Airports
31 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 19 (2001)
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 (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors
Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Railways
0 km
Waterways
none
Military and Security
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
none This page was last updated on 1 January 2002 Navassa Island