Location: Oceania, Melanesia,
just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
Map references:
Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area 28,450 sq km
land area 27,540 sq km
comparative area slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline: 5,313 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
territorial sea 12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature
and weather
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some
low coral atolls
Natural resources: fish, forests, gold,
bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Land use:
arable land 1%
permanent crops 1%
meadows and pastures
1%
forest and woodland 93%
other 4%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues
deforestation; soil erosion; limited arable land
natural hazards
subject to typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically active
region with frequent earth tremors
international agreements party
to - Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note: located just east
of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
Population: 385,811 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.43% (1994 est.)
Birth rate: 38.93 births/1,000
population (1994 est.)
Death rate: 4.63 deaths/1,000 population
(1994 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 27.8 deaths/1,000 live
births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population
70.48 years
male 68.05 years
female 73.03 years
(1994 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.73
children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun
Solomon Islander(s)
adjective Solomon Islander
Ethnic divisions: Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European
0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Religions: Anglican 34%,
Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 10%, other Protestant 5%
Languages: Melanesian
pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of
population
note 120 indigenous languages
Literacy:
total population NA%
male NA%
female
NA%
Labor force: 23,448 economically active
by occupation agriculture, forestry, and fishing 32.4%, services 25%,
construction, manufacturing, and mining 7.0%, commerce, transport, and finance
4.7% (1984)
Names:
conventional long form none
conventional short form Solomon
Islands
former British Solomon Islands
Digraph:
BP
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Honiara
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and
1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu,
Western
Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution:
7 July 1978
Legal system: common law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir George LEPPING (since 27 June 1989, previously
acted as governor general since 7 July 1988)
head of government
Prime Minister Francis Billy HILLY (since June 1993); Deputy Prime Minister
Francis SAEMALA (since June 1993)
cabinet Cabinet; appointed
by the governor general on advice of the prime minister from members of parliament
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Parliament
elections last held NA May 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) National Unity Group 21, PAP
8, National Action Party 6, LP 4, UP 3, Christian Fellowship 2, NFP 1, independents
2
Judicial branch: High Court
Political parties and leaders:
People's Alliance Party (PAP); United Party (UP), leader NA; Solomon
Islands Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew ULUFA'ALU; Nationalist Front for
Progress (NFP), Andrew NORI; Labor Party (LP), Joses TUHANUKU; National Action
Party, leader NA; Christian Fellowship, leader NA; National Unity Group, Solomon
MAMALONI
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU,
LORCS, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission (vacant);
ambassador traditionally resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands)
US diplomatic representation: embassy closed July 1993; the ambassador
to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands
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
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 economy suffered from a severe cyclone in mid-1986 that
caused widespread damage to the infrastructure. In 1993, the government was
working with the IMF to develop a structural adjustment program to address
the country's fiscal deficit.
National product: GDP - purchasing
power equivalent - $900 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1.8% (1991 est.)
National product per capita: $2,500
(1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13% (1992
est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues $48 million
expenditures $107 million, including
capital expenditures of $45 million (1991 est.)
Exports:
$84 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities fish 46%, timber 31%, palm
oil 5%, cocoa, copra
partners Japan 39%, UK 23%, Thailand 9%,
Australia 5%, US 2% (1991)
Imports: $110 million (c.i.f.,
1991)
commodities plant and machinery manufactured goods, food
and live animals, fuel
partners Australia 34%, Japan 16%, Singapore
14%, NZ 9%
External debt: $128 million (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate -3.8% (1991 est.); accounts for 5%
of GDP
Electricity:
capacity 21,000 kW
production 39 million kWh
consumption per capita 115 kWh
(1990)
Industries: copra, fish (tuna)
Agriculture:
including fishing and forestry, accounts for 31% of GDP; mostly subsistence
farming; cash crops - cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, timber; other
products - rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs; not self-sufficient
in food grains; 90% of the total fish catch of 44,500 metric tons was exported
(1988)
Economic aid:
recipient Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $250 million
Currency: 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 3.2383 (November 1993), 2.9281
(1992), 2.7148 (1991), 2.5288 (1990), 2.2932 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Highways:
total 1,300 km
paved 30 km
unpaved
gravel 290 km; earth 980 km
note in addition, there are
800 km of private logging and plantation roads of varied construction (1982)
Ports: Honiara, Ringi Cove
Airports:
total 31
usable 30
with permanent-surface runways
2
with runways over 3,659 m 0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m
0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m 4
Telecommunications:
3,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific
Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Branches: Police Force
Defense expenditures: $NA,
NA% of GDP