The UK established a protectorate
over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the most bitter fighting
of World War II occurred on this archipelago. 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, then Prime Minister Sir Allan 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 generally been effective in
restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.
Geography ::Solomon Islands
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: 28,896 sq km
country comparison to the world: 143
land:
27,986 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:
Current Weather
tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis
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; on 2 April 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter
scale occurred 345 km WNW of the capital Honiara; the resulting tsunami
devastated coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens
of deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was
especially hard hit
People ::Solomon Islands
Population:
609,794 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.8% (male 120,695/female 115,891)
15-64 years:
57.7% (male 177,725/female 173,848)
65 years and over:
3.5% (male 10,206/female 11,429) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 20 years
male:
19.8 years
female:
20.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.315% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
Birth rate:
26.87 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
Death rate:
3.73 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 18% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
4.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 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:
0.89 male(s)/female
total population:
1.02 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.41 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 104
male:
20.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
15.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
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 (official but spoken by only
1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male:
9 years
female:
8 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
3.3% of GDP (1999)
country comparison to the world: 137
Government ::Solomon Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Solomon Islands
local long form:
none
local short form:
Solomon Islands
former:
British Solomon Islands
Government type:
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: Honiara
geographic coordinates:
9 26 S, 159 57 E
time difference:
UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution:
7 July 1978
Legal system:
English common law, which is widely disregarded; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Frank KABUI (since 7 July 2009)
head of government:
Prime
Minister Derek SIKUA (since 20 December 2007); note - Prime Minister
Manasseh SOGAVARE defeated in a no confidence vote in parliament on 13
December 2007; SIKUA elected on 20 December 2007
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:
the
monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on
the advice of parliament for up to five years (eligible for a second
term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party
or the leader of a majority coalition 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 on 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results:
percent
of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, PAP 6.3%, SIPRA 6.3%, Liberal
5%, Democratic 4.9%, SOCRED 4.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, independents 60.3%; seats
by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2,
Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Association of
Independent Members or AIM [Thomas CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon
Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA]; LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party
[Francis HILLY]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA];
Social Credit Party or SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon
First Party [David QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel
SURI]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon
Islands Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for
Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter
KENILOREA]
note:in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Isatabu Freedom Movement
(IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic
factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to
2003
chancery:
800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017
telephone:
[1] (212) 599-6192, 6193
FAX:
[1] (212) 661-8925
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an
embassy in the Solomon Islands; the US ambassador to Papua New Guinea is
accredited to the Solomon Islands
Flag description:
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
Government - note:
by the end of 2007, the
Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - originally
made up of police and troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea,
and Tonga - had been scaled back to 303 police officers, 197 civilian
technical advisers, and 72 military advisers from 15 countries across
the region
Economy ::Solomon Islands
Economy - overview:
The bulk of the population depends
on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of its
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 RAMSI, severe
ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government
treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI's efforts to restore law
and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as the
economy rebuilds.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.57 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
$1.564 billion (2008 est.)
$1.458 billion (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$675.8 million (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
7.3% (2008 est.)
10.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,580 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
$2,700 (2008 est.)
$2,580 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 42%
industry:
11%
services:
47% (2005 est.)
Labor force:
202,500 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 169
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:
China 51.4%, Thailand 7.2%, Spain 5.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Philippines 5% (2008)
Imports:
$256 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 197
Imports - commodities:
food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Singapore 28.5%, Australia 19.3%, Fiji 4.7%, Malaysia 4.7%, Papua New Guinea 4.6%, NZ 4.3% (2008)
Debt - external:
$166 million (2004)
country comparison to the world: 176
Exchange rates:
Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003)
Communications ::Solomon Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
8,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 207
Telephones - mobile cellular:
30,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 203
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic:
mobile-cellular telephone density is about 5 telephones per 100 persons
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:
4,067 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 136
Internet users:
10,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 199
Transportation ::Solomon Islands
Airports:
36 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 107
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
8
under 914 m:
25 (2009)
Heliports:
3 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 1,360 km
country comparison to the world: 177
paved:
33 km
unpaved:
1,327 km
note:includes 800 km of private plantation roads (2002)
Ports and terminals:
Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor
Military ::Solomon Islands
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Solomon Islands Police Force (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 150,987 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 125,928
females age 16-49:
126,999 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 7,256
female:
6,995 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 45
Transnational Issues ::Solomon Islands
Disputes - international:
since 2003, RAMSI, consisting of
police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, has
assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order
while reinforcing regional stability and security
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 5,400 (displaced by tsunami on 2 April 2007) (2007)
