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 Match 219   DB Rec# - 7,671  Dataset-WOFACT

Title         :Solomon Islands 
Text          : 
                                 Solomon Islands 
 
                                    Geography 
 
Location: 
    Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New 
    Guinea 
Map references: 
    Oceania 
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 
  continental shelf: 
    200 nm 
  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; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or
 
    dying 
  natural hazards: 
    typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically active region with 
    frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity 
  international agreements: 
    party to - Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, 
    Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling; signed, but not 
    ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea 
 
                                     People 
 
Population: 
    399,206 (July 1995 est.) 
Age structure: 
  0-14 years: 
    46% (female 90,293; male 93,695) 
  15-64 years: 
    51% (female 100,183; male 103,374) 
  65 years and over: 
    3% (female 5,738; male 5,923) (July 1995 est.) 
Population growth rate: 
    3.4% (1995 est.) 
Birth rate: 
    38.48 births/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Death rate: 
    4.51 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Net migration rate: 
    0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Infant mortality rate: 
    26.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.) 
Life expectancy at birth: 
  total population: 
    70.84 years 
  male: 
    68.38 years 


  female: 
    73.41 years (1995 est.) 
Total fertility rate: 
    5.59 children born/woman (1995 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%, traditional beliefs 4% 
Languages: 
    Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by
 
    1%-2% of population 
  note: 
    120 indigenous languages 
Literacy: 
    NA% 
Labor force: 
    NA 
  by occupation: 
    agriculture, forestry, and fishing 32.4%, services 25%, construction, 
    manufacturing, and mining 7.0%, commerce, transport, and finance 4.7% (1984)
 
 
                                   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) 
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 
    Moses PITAKAKA (since 10 June 1994) 
  head of government: 
    Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 7 November 1994); Deputy Prime 
    Minister Dennis LULEI (since 10 November 1994) 
  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 November 1994 (next to be held NA 1997); results - 
    percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) number of seats by party NA 
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, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, 
    ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, 
    UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO 
Diplomatic representation in US: 
    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 
 
                                   Government 
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 
 
                                     Economy 
 
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 parity - $1 billion (1992 est.) 
National product real growth rate: 
    8% (1992) 
National product per capita: 
    $2,590 (1992 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: 
    30 million kWh 
  consumption per capita: 
    80 kWh (1993) 
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 
 
                                     Economy 
Currency: 
    1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents 
Exchange rates: 
    Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 3.3113 (September 1994), 3.1877 
    (1993), 2.9281 (1992), 2.7148 (1991), 2.5288 (1990) 
Fiscal year: 
    calendar year 
 
                                 Transportation 
 
Railroads: 
    0 km 
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: 
    Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina 
Merchant marine: 
    none 
Airports: 
  total: 
    31 
  with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 
    1 
  with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 
    1 
  with paved runways under 914 m: 
    19 
  with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 
    1 
  with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 
    9 
 
                                 Communications 
 
Telephone system: 
    3,000 telephones 
  local: 
    NA 
  intercity: 
    NA 
  international: 
    1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station 
Radio: 
  broadcast stations: 
    AM 4, FM 0, shortwave 0 
  radios: 
    NA 
Television: 
  broadcast stations: 
    0 
  televisions: 
    NA 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
Branches: 
    no military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) 
Defense expenditures: 
    $NA, NA% of GDP 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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Updated: March 12, 1996