Solomon Islands

• typhoons, but rarely destructive;
• geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity;
• tsunamis

volcanism:

Tinakula (elev. 851 m) has frequent eruption activity, while an eruption of Savo (elev. 485 m) could affect the capital Honiara on nearby Guadalcanal

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

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

• 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

noun:

Solomon Islander(s)

adjective:

Solomon Islander

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.95 male(s)/female

total population:

1.04 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Solomon Islands

local long form:

none

local short form:

Solomon Islands

former:

British Solomon Islands

name:

Honiara

geographic coordinates:

9 26 S, 159 57 E

time difference:

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Gordon Darcy LILO (since 16 November 2011)

cabinet:

Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of parliament; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

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;
• Gordon Darcy LILO elected on 16 November 2011

highest court(s):

• Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, and ex officio members to include the High Court chief justice and its puisne judges);
• High Court (consists of the chief justice and puisne judges as prescribed by the National Parliament)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal and High Court president, chief justices, and puisne judges appointed by the governor-general upon recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, chaired by the chief justice to include 5 members, mostly judicial officials and legal professionals;
• all judges appointed until retirement at age 60

subordinate courts:

• Magistrates' Courts;
• local courts;
• Customary Land Appeal Court

• Direct Development Party or DDP [Dick HA'AMORI]
• Independent Democratic Party or IDP [Snyder RINI]
• People's Alliance Party or PAP [James MEKAB]
• People's Congress Party or PCP [Fred FONO]
• People's Federation Party or PFP [Rudolf DORA]
• Ownership, Unity, and Responsibility Party or OUR [Manasseh SOGAVARE]
• Reform Democratic Party or RDP [Danny PHILIP]
• Rural and Urban Political Party or RUPP [Samuel MANETOALI]
• Solomon Islands Democratic Party or SIDP [Steve ABANA]
• Solomon Islands Liberal Party or SILP [Derek SIKUA]
• Solomon Islands National Party or SINP [Francis HILLY]
• 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Collin David BECK (since 31 March 2004)

chancery:

800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017

telephone:

[1] (212) 599-6192, 6193

FAX:

[1] (212) 661-8925

• the US does not have an embassy in the Solomon Islands;
• the US ambassador to Papua New Guinea, currently Ambassador Walter E. North, is accredited to the Solomon Islands

• 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;
• blue represents the ocean;
• green the land;
• and yellow sunshine;
• the five stars stand for the five main island groups of the Solomon Islands

name:

"God Save Our Solomon Islands"

lyrics/music:

Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA

note: adopted 1978

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

agriculture:

75%

industry:

5%

services:

20% (2000 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

domestic:

mobile-cellular telephone density is about 50 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2011)

• Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) is the sole TV broadcaster with 1 station;
• multi-channel pay-TV is available;
• SIBC operates 2 national radio stations and 2 provincial stations;
• 2 local commercial radio stations;
• Radio Australia is available via satellite feed (2009)

total:

1,390 km

country comparison to the world: 178

paved:

34 km

unpaved:

1,356 km

note: includes 920 km of private plantation roads (2011)

males age 16-49:

118,921

females age 16-49:

118,164 (2010 est.)

male:

6,483

female:

6,098 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• The Solomon Islands is a source and destination country for local and Southeast Asian men and women subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution;
• women from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are recruited for legitimate work and upon arrival are forced into prostitution;
• men from Indonesia and Malaysia recruited to work in the Solomon Islands' mining and logging industries may be subjected to forced labor;
• local children are forced into prostitution near foreign logging camps, on fishing vessels, and at hotel and other entertainment venues;
• some local children are also sold by their parents for marriage to foreign workers or put up for "informal adoption" and then find themselves forced into domestic servitude or forced prostitution

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - The Solomon Islands does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government has formed an ad hoc Solomon Islands Trafficking-in-Persons Advisory Committee and established an informal victim assistance referral procedure for law enforcement;
• the government did not pass the necessary implementing regulations for anti-trafficking legislation enacted in 2012, preventing authorities from using the new law to prosecute alleged traffickers;
• the government continues to rely on civil society or religious organizations to provide limited services to victims;
• the Solomon Islands is not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2013)