Airports [time series]

33 total, 30 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

no major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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 [time series]

Honiara, Ringi Cove

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

3,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Police Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability [time series]

NA

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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)

Budget [time series]

revenues $44 million; expenditures $45 million, including capital expenditures of $22 million (1989 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Solomon Islands dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $250 million

Electricity [time series]

21,000 kW capacity; 39 million kWh produced, 115 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 2.8740 (March 1992), 2.7148 (1991), 2.5288 (1990), 2.2932 (1989), 2.0825 (1988), 2.0033 (1987)

Exports [time series]

$67.3 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: fish 46%, timber 31%, copra 5%, palm oil 5% partners: Japan 51%, UK 12%, Thailand 9%, Netherlands 8%, Australia 2%, US 2% (1985)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$128 million (1988 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $200 million, per capita $600; real growth rate 6.0% (1990 est.)

Imports [time series]

$86.0 million (c.i.f., 1990) 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)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 0% (1987); accounts for 5% of GDP

Industries [time series]

copra, fish (tuna)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

10.2% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Climate [time series]

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Coastline [time series]

5,313 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Maryland

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

none

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

subject to typhoons, which are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors

Area (Land area) [time series]

27,540 km2

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

arable land 1%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 93%; other 4%

Maritime claims [time series]

(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines) Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates

Note [time series]

located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean

Terrain [time series]

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Area (Total area) [time series]

28,450 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western

Capital [time series]

Honiara

Constitution [time series]

7 July 1978

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador (vacant) resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands) US: the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands; Embassy at Mud Alley, Honiara (mailing address is American Embassy, P. O. Box 561, Honiara); telephone (677) 23890; FAX (677) 23488

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

National Parliament: last held 22 February 1989 (next to be held NA February 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 [time series]

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

7 July 1978 (from UK; formerly British Solomon Islands)

Judicial branch [time series]

High Court

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

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)

Legal system [time series]

common law

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Parliament

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

none

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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 [time series]

universal at age 21

Government type (Type) [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Birth rate [time series]

40 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate [time series]

5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Melanesian 93.0%, Polynesian 4.0%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

30 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force [time series]

23,448 economically active; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 32.4%; services 25%; construction, manufacturing, and mining 7.0%; commerce, transport, and finance 4.7% (1984)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

67 years male, 72 years female (1992)

Literacy [time series]

NA% (male NA%, female NA%)

Nationality [time series]

noun - Solomon Islander(s); adjective - Solomon Islander

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor [time series]

NA, but most of the cash-economy workers have trade union representation

Population [time series]

360,010 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)

Religions [time series]

almost all at least nominally Christian; Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other Protestant 5%

Total fertility rate [time series]

6.0 children born/woman (1992)