Solomon Islands

parliamentary democracyIndependence 7 July 1978 (from UK)

Solomon Islands as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 92 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalHoniara

Position8 00 S, 159 00 E

Area28,450 sq km

LocationOceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east

1997

Every edition of Solomon Islands

Populationas each edition published it

426,855 people July 1997 est. · 335,082 in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.3% 1997 est. · 3.46% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

71.45 years 1997 est. · 70.13 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.27 children per woman 1997 est. · 6.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

24.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 40 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$3,000 1996 est. · $600 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

4.5% 1996 est. · 6% in 1993

Geography

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

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Land useshare of 28,450 sq km

permanent pastures 1%forests and woodland 88%other 9% (1993 est.)arable land 1% in all · permanent crops 1% in all

Area

28,450sq km

land: 27,540 sq kmwater: 910 sq kmslightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline

5,313km

land boundaries: 0 kmMaritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselinescontinental shelf: 200 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

2,447m

Mount Makarakomburulowest point : Pacific Ocean 0 m

Location

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

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

Natural hazards

typhoons, but they are rarely destructive;
geologically active region with frequent earth tremors;
volcanic activity

Environment - current issues

deforestation;
soil erosion;
much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified :: Law of the Sea

People

15 fields

Population

426,855

(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 3.3% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth

37.3Death

4.31Net migration

Ethnic groups

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%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 45% (male 98,797; female 95,162) 15-64 years : 52% (male 111,702; female 108,505)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 6,345; female 6,344) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth :: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 1 male(s)/female
total population:: 1.03 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

24.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:: 71.45 years
male:: 68.96 years
female:: 74.07 years (1997 est.)

Nationality

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

Languages

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

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Moses PITAKAKA (since 10 June 1994); Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 7 November 1994)

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National Parliament, 42 seats, elected 26 May 1993one dot, one seat

GNUR 21PAP 7SILP 4UP 4independents 6

Country name

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

Data code

Government type

parliamentary democracy

National capital

Honiara

Administrative divisions

7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western note: there may be two new provinces of Choiseul (Lauru) and Rennell/Bellona and the administrative unit of Honiara may have been abolished

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 of the UK (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 Francis SAEMALA (since NA February 1997)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
elections :: none;
the queen is a hereditary monarch;
governor general appointed by the queen 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 (47 seats; members elected from single member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:: last held 26 May 1993 (next to be held 6 August 1997)
election results:: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GNUR 21, PAP 7, NAPSI 5, SILP 4, UP 4, independents 6

Judicial branch

High Court

Political parties and leaders

National Unity and Reconciliation Group (GNUR), Solomon MAMALONI;
People's Alliance Party (PAP);
National Action Party (NAPSI), leader NA;
Solomon Islands Labor Party (SILP), leader NA;
United Party (UP), leader NA;
Nationalist Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew NORI;
Labor Party (LP), Joses TUHANUKU;
Christian Fellowship, leader NA

International organization participation

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, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Stephen Rex HOROI (represents the country as both the Permanent Representative to the UN and the ambassador to the US)
chancery:: Permanent Mission of the Solomon Islands to the UN, 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017
telephone :: [1] (212) 599-6193

FAX

[1] (212) 661-8925

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the 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

Economy

The bulk of the population depend on subsistence | agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their | livelihood.

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Real growth rate

4.5%

(1996 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

10.4%

(1996)

Labor force

26,842

by occupation: services 41.5%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 23.7%, commerce, transport, and finance 21.7%, construction, manufacturing, and mining 13.1% (1992 est.)

Debt - external

$100million

(1995 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$147 millionExpenditures

$168 million (1997 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

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 Government of the Solomon Islands is nearing financial insolvency.

In mid-1995 the central bank suspended interest and principal payments on government bonds and treasury bills held by financial institutions and the general public. The government so far has taken no steps to restrain expenditure or address the deficit, which is expected to be considerably higher than the $20 million forecasted in the 1996 budget.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture:: NA%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Industries

copra, fish (tuna)

Electricity - capacity

20,000 kW (1994)

Electricity - production

55 million kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

NA kWh

Agriculture - products

cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit;
cattle, pigs;
timber;
fish

Exports

total value:: $170 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities:: timber, fish, palm oil, cocoa, copra
partners :: Japan 39%, UK 23%, Thailand 9%, Australia 5%, US 2% (1991)

Imports

total value:: $152 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities:: plant and machinery, manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuel
partners:: Australia 34%, Japan 16%, Singapore 14%, NZ 9%