The UK established a
protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest
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: 28,450 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km
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
total: 19.4 years
male: 19.3 years female: 19.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.467% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
28.48 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
3.81 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA
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: 0.91
male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.67
deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.44
years male: 70.9 years female: 76.1 years (2008
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
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
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 UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution:
7 July 1978
Legal system:
English common law, which is
widely disregarded
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
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 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 monarch 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 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
(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
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
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
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 the Regional
Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (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.
China 48%, South Korea 9.5%,
Japan 8.9%, Thailand 4.7%, Italy 4.4%, Philippines 4.2% (2006)
Imports:
$256 million f.o.b. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
food, plant and equipment,
manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Australia 25.5%, Singapore
23.5%, Japan 7.8%, NZ 5.1%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$198.2 million annually, mainly
from Australia (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$166 million (2004)
Currency (code):
Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Currency code:
SBD
Exchange rates:
Solomon Islands dollars per US
dollar - NA (2007), 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059
(2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Solomon Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
7,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6,000 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 677;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004)
Radios:
57,000 (1997)
Televisions:
3,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sb
Internet hosts:
3,414 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
8,000 (2006)
Transportation
Solomon Islands
Airports:
35 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 33 1,524
to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23
(2007)
Heliports:
3 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 1,360 km
paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (1999)
Ports and terminals:
Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru
Harbor
Military
Solomon Islands
Military branches:
no regular military forces;
Solomon Islands Police Force (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 141,051
(2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 116,891
(2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 6,924
(2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3% (2006)
Transnational Issues
Solomon Islands
Disputes - international:
since 2003, the Regional
Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (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)
