Introduction

 

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. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.

 

Geography

 

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea

 

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 159 00 E

 

Map references: Oceania

 

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

 

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

 

Land boundaries: 0 km

 

Coastline: 5,313 km

 

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines; territorial sea: 12 nm; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; continental shelf: 200 nm

 

Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

 

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

 

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

 

Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

 

Land use: arable land: 0.64%; permanent crops: 2%; other: 97.36% (2001)

 

Irrigated land: NA

 

Natural hazards: typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity

 

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

 

Geography - note: strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea

 

People

 

Population: 538,032 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 114,860/female 110,404); 15-64 years: 54.9% (male 149,400/female 145,970); 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,371/female 9,027) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 18.63 years; male: 18.5 years; female: 18.76 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 2.68% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 30.74 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 3.98 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

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 (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 21.29 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 24.27 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 18.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.66 years; male: 70.16 years; female: 75.28 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 4.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

 

Nationality: noun: Solomon Islander(s); adjective: Solomon Islander

 

Ethnic groups: Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)

Religions: Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census)

 

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

 

Literacy: definition: NA

total population: NA%

male: NA%

female: NA%

 

Government

 

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Solomon Islands

former: British Solomon Islands

 

Government type: parliamentary democracy

 

Capital: Honiara

 

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

 

Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK)

 

National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

 

Constitution: 7 July 1978

 

Legal system: English common law, which is widely disregarded

 

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

 

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members 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

 

Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than December 2005)

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

 

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal

 

Economy

 

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. Prior to the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI has enabled a return to law and order, a new period of economic stability, and modest growth as the economy rebuilds.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $800 million (2002 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 5.8% (2003 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 42%; industry: 11%; services: 47% (2000 est.)

 

Labor force: 26,840 (1999)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: NA%

 

Population below poverty line: NA

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA; highest 10%: NA

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (2003 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $49.7 million; expenditures: $75.1 million, including capital expenditures of $0 (2003)

 

Agriculture - products: cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish

 

Industries: fish (tuna), mining, timber

 

Industrial production growth rate: NA

 

Electricity - production: 32 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 29.76 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 1,250 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: NA

 

Oil - imports: NA

 

Exports: $74 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

 

Exports - commodities: timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa

 

Exports - partners: China 28.2%, Thailand 15.7%, South Korea 15.7%, Japan 9.7%, Philippines 5.1% (2004)

 

Imports: $67 million f.o.b. (2003)

 

Imports - commodities: food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals

 

Imports - partners: Australia 25.3%, Singapore 23.8%, New Zealand 5.3%, India 4.8%  (

2004)

 

Debt - external: $180.4 million (2002)

 

Economic aid - recipient: $28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2003 est.)

 

Currency (code): Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)

 

Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000)

 

Fiscal year: calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 6,600 (2002)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,000 (2002)

 

Telephone system: general assessment: NA; domestic: NA; international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004)

 

Internet country code: .sb

Internet hosts: 398 (2003)

 

Internet users: 2,200 (2002)

 

Transportation

 

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

 

Ports and harbors: Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina

 

Airports: 33 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1; 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1; 914 to 1,523 m: 9; under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security.