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- #CARD:Solomon Islands:Geography
- #IMAGE 49 66 TWPCX \maps\Solomon_.PCX
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK Click Here for MAP
- Solomon Islands
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- Oceania, 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 km2
- land area:
- 27,540 km2
- 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
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 1%
- permanent crops:
- 1%
- meadows and pastures:
- 1%
- forest and woodland:
- 93%
- other:
- 4%
- Irrigated land:
- NA km2
- Environment:
- subject to typhoons, which are rarely destructive; geologically active
- region with frequent earth tremors
- Note:
- located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Solomon Islands:People
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Solomon Islands
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 372,746 (July 1993 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 3.46% (1993 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 39.37 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Death rate:
- 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 29 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 70.13 years
- male:
- 67.73 years
- female:
- 72.65 years (1993 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 5.88 children born/woman (1993 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)
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Solomon Islands:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Solomon Islands
- Government
-
-
- 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)
- Constitution:
- 7 July 1978
- Legal system:
- common law
- 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
- Suffrage:
- 21 years of age; universal
- Elections:
- National Parliament:
- last held 22 February 1989 (next to be held 26 May 1993); results - percent
- of vote by party NA; seats - (38 total) PAP 13, UP 6, NFP 4, SILP 4, LP 2,
- independents 9
- Executive branch:
- British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral National Parliament
- Judicial branch:
- High Court
- Leaders:
- 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 Solomon MAMALONI (since 28 March 1989); Deputy Prime Minister
- Sir Baddeley DEVESI (since NA October 1990)
- Member of:
- ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
- IOC, ITU, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- chief of mission:
- (vacant); ambassador traditionally resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands)
- US diplomatic representation:
- Ambassador Robert W. FARRAND
- embassy:
- Mud Alley, Honiara
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Solomon Islands:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Solomon Islands
- Government
- mailing address:
- American Embassy, P. O. Box 561, Honiara
- telephone:
- (677) 23890
- FAX:
- (677) 23488
- 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
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Solomon Islands:Economy
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Solomon Islands
- Economy
-
-
- Overview:
- About 90% of the population depend on subsistence agriculture, fishing, and
- forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Agriculture, fishing, and
- forestry contribute about 70% to GDP, with the fishing and forestry sectors
- being important export earners. The service sector contributes about 25% to
- GDP. 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.
- National product:
- GDP - exchange rate conversion - $200 million (1990 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- 6% (1990 est.)
- National product per capita:
- $600 (1990 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 14.3% (1991)
- Unemployment rate:
- NA%
- Budget:
- revenues $48 million; expenditures $107 million, including capital
- expenditures of $45 million (1991 est.)
- Exports:
- $74.2 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
- commodities:
- fish 46%, timber 31%, copra 5%, palm oil 5%
- partners:
- Japan 51%, UK 12%, Thailand 9%, Netherlands 8%, Australia 2%, US 2% (1985)
- Imports:
- $87.1 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
- commodities:
- plant and machinery 30%, fuel 19%, food 16%
- partners:
- Japan 36%, US 23%, Singapore 9%, UK 9%, NZ 9%, Australia 4%, Hong Kong 4%,
- China 3% (1985)
- External debt:
- $128 million (1988 est.)
- Industrial production:
- growth rate 0% (1987); accounts for 5% of GDP
- Electricity:
- 21,000 kW capacity; 39 million kWh produced, 115 kWh per capita (1990)
- Industries:
- copra, fish (tuna)
- Agriculture:
- including fishing and forestry, accounts for about 70% 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:
- 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 - 3.1211 (January 1993), 2.9281
- (1992), 2.7148 (1991), 2.5288 (1990), 2.2932 (1989), 2.0825 (1988)
- Fiscal year:
- calendar year
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Solomon Islands:Communications
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Solomon Islands
- Communications
-
-
- Highways:
- about 2,100 km total (1982); 30 km paved, 290 km gravel, 980 km earth, 800
- private logging and plantation roads of varied construction
- Ports:
- Honiara, Ringi Cove
- Airports:
- total:
- 30
- usable:
- 29
- 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:
- 3
- Telecommunications:
- 3,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean
- INTELSAT earth station
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Solomon Islands:Defense Forces
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Solomon Islands
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- Police Force
- Manpower availability:
- NA
- Defense expenditures:
- exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
-
- #ENDCARD
-