Administrative divisions9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure
0-14 years: 42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816)
15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products
cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Airports
33 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 21 (2003 est.)
Area
total: 28,450 sq km
water: 910 sq km
land: 27,540 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. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias.
Birth rate
31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget
revenues: $38 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001)
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
4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external
$162.5 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, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS, is accredited to the Solomon Islands
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeremiah MANELE
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017
FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925
Disputes - international
Australian defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the islands and reinforce regional security
Economic aid - recipient
$28 million annually, mainly from Australia (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. The disintegration of law and order left the economy in tatters by mid-2003, and on 24 July 2003 more than 2000 Australian soldiers entered the Solomon Islands to restore order and to facilitate the restoration of basic services.
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%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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 (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999)
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004)
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: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001)
Exports
$90 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities
timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners
China 25.4%, South Korea 15.3%, Japan 13.6%, Philippines 10.2%, Singapore 5.9%, Thailand 5.9% (2003 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
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
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
Government - note
June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003
Government type
parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy
Highways
total: 1,360 km
paved: 34 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 shar
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Imports
$100 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities
food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners
Australia 30.4%, Singapore 22.4%, Fiji 4.8%, New Zealand 4.8%, Papua New Guinea 4% (2003 est.)
Independence
7 July 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate
NA
Industries
fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate
total: 22.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9% (2002 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, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Internet country code
.sb
Internet hosts
398 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
2,200 (2002)
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal
Labor force
26,840 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0.64%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 97.36% (2001)
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
total population: 72.38 years
male: 69.9 years
female: 74.98 years (2004 est.)
Literacy
definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: 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
total: 18.4 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 18.5 years (2004 est.)
Merchant marine
none
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
National holiday
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Nationality
noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander
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 (2004 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
523,617 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA
Population growth rate
2.76% (2004 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)
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: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage
21 years of age; universal
Telephone system
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use
6,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular
1,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations
0 (1997)
Televisions
3,000 (1997)
Terrain
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate
4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate
NA