Solomon Islands
_Solomon_Islands.jpg)
See regional map X
Geography
Total area: 28,450 km²; land area: 27,540
km²
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 5,313 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
- Extended economic zone: 200 nm
- Territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Land use: 1% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 93% forest and woodland; 4% other
Environment: subject to typhoons, which are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors
Note: located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
People
Population: 335,082 (July 1990), growth
rate 3.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Solomon Islander(s); adjective—Solomon Islander
Ethnic divisions: 93.0% Melanesian, 4.0% Polynesian, 1.5% Micronesian, 0.8% European, 0.3% Chinese, 0.4% other
Religion: almost all at least nominally Christian; Anglican, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Roman Catholic Churches dominant
Language: 120 indigenous languages; Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English spoken by 1-2% of population
Literacy: 60%
Labor force: 23,448 economically active; 32.4% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 25% services, 7.0% construction, manufacturing, and mining; 4.7% commerce, transport, and finance (1984)
Organized labor: NA, but most of the cash-economy workers have trade union representation
Government
Long-form name: none
Type: independent parliamentary state within Commonwealth
Capital: Honiara
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western
Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK; formerly British Solomon Islands)
Constitution: 7 July 1978
Legal system: common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament
Judicial branch: High Court
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General 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 Danny PHILIP (since 31 March 1989)
Political parties and leaders: People's Alliance Party (PAP), Solomon Mamaloni; United Party (UP), Sir Peter Kenilorea; Solomon Islands Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew Ulufa'alu; Nationalist Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew Nori; Labor Party (LP), Joses Tuhanuku
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections: National Parliament—last held 22 February 1989 (next to be held February 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(38 total) PAP 13, UP 6, NFP 4, SILP 4, LP 2, independents 9
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, SPF, UN, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: 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) 23488
Flag: 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
Overview: 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 75% to GDP, with the
fishing and forestry sectors being important
export earners. The service sector
contributes about 25% to GDP. Manufacturing
activity is negligible. 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 which caused widespread damage to
the infrastructure.
GDP: $156 million, per capita $500; real growth rate 4.3% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.2% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $139.0 million; expenditures $154.4 million, including capital expenditures of $113.4 million (1987)
Exports: $80.1 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—fish 46%, timber 31%, copra 5%, palm oil 5%; partners—Japan 51%, UK 12%, Thailand 9%, Netherlands 8%, Australia 2%, US 2% (1985)
Imports: $101.7 million (f.o.b., 1988); 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)
External debt: $128 million (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1987)
Electricity: 15,000 kW capacity; 30 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: copra, fish (tuna)
Agriculture: including fishing and forestry, accounts for about 75% 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)
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