Solomon Islands

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

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

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

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)

Budget

revenues: $48 million expenditures: $107 million, including capital expenditures of $45 million (1991 est.)

Currency

1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $250 million

Electricity

capacity: 21,000 kW production: 39 million kWh consumption per capita: 115 kWh (1990)

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)

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)

External debt

$128 million (1988 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

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%

Industrial production

growth rate -3.8% (1991 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP

Industries

copra, fish (tuna)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

13% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $900 million (1991 est.)

National product per capita

$2,500 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

1.8% (1991 est.)

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.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 28,450 sq km land area: 27,540 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Climate

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Coastline

5,313 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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 93% other: 4%

Location

Oceania, Melanesia, just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean

Map references

Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

Note

located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Administrative divisions

7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western

Capital

Honiara

Constitution

7 July 1978

Digraph

BP

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: (vacant); ambassador traditionally resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands)

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

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

Independence

7 July 1978 (from UK)

Judicial branch

High Court

Legal system

common law

Legislative branch

unicameral

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

Names

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

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

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

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type

parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

embassy closed July 1993; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands

Birth rate

38.93 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

4.63 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

27.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

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)

Languages

Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population note: 120 indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.48 years male: 68.05 years female: 73.03 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

385,811 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

3.43% (1994 est.)

Religions

Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other Protestant 5%

Total fertility rate

5.73 children born/woman (1994 est.)