Internet country code [time series]

.sb

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

398 (2003)

Internet users [time series]

2,200 (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

6,600 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

1,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

0 (1997)

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $38 million expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

SBD

Debt - external [time series]

$162.5 million (2001 est.)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2001 est.)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

The bulk of the population depends on 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. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation) have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of whom have left the country. The disintegration of law and order left the economy in tatters by mid-2003, and on 24 July 2003 more than 2000 Australian soldiers entered the Solomon Islands to restore order and to facilitate the restoration of basic services.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

29.76 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

32 million kWh (2001)

Exchange rates [time series]

Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999)

Exports [time series]

$90 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa

Exports - partners [time series]

China 25.2%, South Korea 17.6%, Japan 13.4%, Philippines 8.4%, Singapore 5.9%, Thailand 5.9% (2003)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

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

purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

-10% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports [time series]

$100 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners [time series]

Australia 29.7%, Singapore 21.9%, Fiji 4.7%, New Zealand 4.7% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

NA

Industries [time series]

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

9% (2002 est.)

Labor force [time series]

26,840 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)

Oil - consumption [time series]

1,250 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA

Area [time series]

total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate [time series]

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Coastline [time series]

5,313 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

8 00 S, 159 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea

Irrigated land [time series]

NA sq km

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 0.64% permanent crops: 2% other: 97.36% (2001)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Oceania

Maritime claims [time series]

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

Terrain [time series]

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Administrative divisions [time series]

9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

Capital [time series]

Honiara

Constitution [time series]

7 July 1978

Country name [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS, is accredited to the Solomon Islands

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001) 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: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch 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

Flag (Flag description) [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

Government - note [time series]

June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003

Government type [time series]

parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy

Independence [time series]

7 July 1978 (from UK)

International organization participation [time series]

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

Court of Appeal

Legal system [time series]

English common law, which is widely disregarded

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than December 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

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

Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions

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

NA

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; universal

Background [time series]

The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. 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, Prime Minister Sir Allen 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 been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

NA

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

NA

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816) 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634) (2004 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate [time series]

4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

NA

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 22.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 72.38 years male: 69.9 years female: 74.98 years (2004 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Median age [time series]

total: 18.4 years male: 18.3 years female: 18.5 years (2004 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population [time series]

523,617 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.76% (2004 est.)

Religions [time series]

Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international [time series]

Australian defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the islands and reinforce regional security

Airports [time series]

33 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

none

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina