Edition 2003 — Solomon Islands

Administrative divisions

9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul (Lauru), Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell/Bellona, Temotu, Western

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.9% (male 111,333; female 107,062) 15-64 years: 54% (male 139,072; female 135,721) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,754; female 8,248) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

32 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 20 (2002) Military Solomon Islands

Area

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

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

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. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. Geography Solomon Islands

Birth rate

32.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $38 million

Capital

Honiara

Climate

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Coastline

5,313 km

Constitution

7 July 1978

Country name

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

Currency

Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)

Currency code

SBD

Death rate

4.12 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$137 million (2001 est.)

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

chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Colin BECK
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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 (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

32 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

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

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2002), NA (2001), 5.09 (2000), 4.84 (1999), 4.82 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
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
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001)

Exports

$47 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities

timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa

Exports - partners

Japan 21.2%, China 18.8%, South Korea 16.3%, Philippines 8.9%, Thailand 7.6%, Singapore 4.1% (2002)

FAX

[1] (212) 661-8925

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications 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 Economy Solomon Islands

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.)

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 People Solomon Islands

Government type

parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy

Highways

paved: 34 km
total: 1,360 km
unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$82 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

Australia 31.3%, Singapore 19.7%, New Zealand 5.1%, Fiji 4.6%, Papua New Guinea 4.5% (2002)

Independence

7 July 1978 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Infant mortality rate

female: 19.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 26.03 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 22.88 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.8% (2001 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO

Internet country code

.sb

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

8,400 (2002) Transportation Solomon Islands

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal

Labor force

26,842

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 1.5%
other: 97.86% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 0.64%

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

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 not later than December 2005)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 74.68 years (2003 est.)
male: 69.64 years
total population: 72.1 years

Literacy

definition: NA
female: NA% Government Solomon Islands
male: NA%
total population: NA%

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

Median age

female: 18.3 years (2002)
male: 18.1 years
total: 18.2 years

Merchant marine

none (2002 est.)

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% Transnational Issues Solomon Islands

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Nationality

adjective: Solomon Islander
noun: Solomon Islander(s)

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,250 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

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

Population

509,190 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

2.83% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

57,000 (1997)

Railways