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Solomon Islands

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Background :

The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the most bitter 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. 

Location :

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

Geographic Coordinates Center :

8 00 S, 159 00 E  (Latitude, Longtitude)

Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :

West 155.51
North -6.59
East 166.98
South -11.85

Area :

total 28 896 square km
land 27 986 square km
water 910 square km

Coastline :

5313.00 km

Climate :

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather 

Terrain :

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls 

Elevation extremes :

lowest point 0 metres
highest point 2 447 metres

Natural resources :

bauxite fish
forests gold
lead nickel
phosphates zinc

Land use :

arable land 0.62 %
permanent crops 2.04 %
other 97.34 %

Natural hazards :

frequent earthquakes tsunamis
typhoons volcanic activity

current issues :

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

international agreements :

Biodiversity Climate Change
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification
Environmental Modification Law of the Sea
Marine Dumping Marine Life Conservation
Ozone Layer Protection Whaling

Population :

595 613 

Indicators :

Growth rate 2.39 %
Birth rate 27.69 births/1,000 population
Total fertility rate 3.52 children born/woman
Death rate 3.77 deaths/1,000 population

Age structure :

0-14 years 39.50 %
15-64 years 57.10 %
65 years and over 3.50 %

Median age :

total 19.70 years
male 19.50 years
female 19.80 years

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 0.90 male(s)/female
total population 1.02 male(s)/female

Health :

Infant mortality rate 19.03 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth - total population 73.69 years
Life expectancy at birth - male 71.14 years
Life expectancy at birth - female 76.37 years

Religions :

Church of Melanesia 32.80 %
Roman Catholic 19.00 %
South Seas Evangelical 17.00 %
Seventh-Day Adventist 11.20 %
United Church 10.30 %
Christian Fellowship Church 2.40 %
other Christian 4.40 %
other 2.40 %
unspecified 0.30 %
none 0.20 %

Languages :

Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca  
English  

Country name :

conventional short form Solomon Islands
local short form Solomon Islands
former British Solomon Islands

Country Codes :

ISO 3166 SB
ISO Numeric 90
ISO3 SLB
FIPS BP
ccTLD sb
English Solomon Islands

Administrative divisions :

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

Capital :

name Honiara
geographic coordinates 9 26 S, 159 57 E
time difference 11.00

International organization participation :

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

Independence :

1978-07-07 

National holiday :

Independence Day

1978-07-07

Executive branch :

Prime Minister Derek SIKUA Queen ELIZABETH II

Legislative branch :

National Party 6.90 %
PAP 6.30 %
SIPRA 6.30 %
Liberal 5.00 %
Democratic 4.90 %
SOCRED 4.30 %
LAFARI 2.80 %

GDP - Gross Domestic product :

PPP - Purchasing Power Parity 1 565 000 000 $
Official Exchange Rate 668 000 000
PPP - per capita 2 600 $

GDP Composition by sector :

agriculture 42.00 %
industry 11.00 %
services 47.00 %

Labor force - by occupation :

agriculture 75.00 %
industry 5.00 %
services 20.00 %

Other Indicators :

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.30 %
Current account balance - 143 000 000 $
Debt external 166 000 000 $
Military expenditures 3.00 % of GDP

Budget :

revenues 49 700 000 $
expenditures 75 100 000 $

Agriculture - products :

cattle cocoa beans
coconuts fish
fruits palm kernels
pigs potatoes
rice timber
vegetables

Industries :

fish mining
timber

Energy :

Electricity Production 71 000 000 kWh
Electricity Consumption 66 030 000 kWh
Oil Consumption 2 000 bbl/day
Oil Imports 1 323 bbl/day

Value :

237 000 000 $

Partners :

China (cn) 51.40 %
Thailand (th) 7.20 %
Spain (es) 5.80 %
South Korea 5.50 %
Philippines (ph) 5.00 %

Commodities :

cocoa copra
fish palm oil
timber

Value :

256 000 000 $

Commodities :

chemicals food
fuels manufactured products
plant and equipment

Currency-name :

Solomon Islands dollar 

Communications :

Telephons Main lines in use 8 000
Telephons Mobile, Cellular 14 000
FM Radio broadcast stations 1
Internet Country code (ccTLD) sb
Internet Hosts 4 067
Internet Users 10 000

Transportation :

Airports with paved runways 2
Heliports 3
Roadways - total 1 360 km
Roadways - paved 33 km
Roadways - unpaved 1 327 km

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