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1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)
Solomon Islands
    n 1: the southern Solomon Islands that since 1978 form an
         independent state in the British Commonwealth
    2: the northernmost islands are part of Papua New Guinea; the
       remainder form an independent state within the British
       Commonwealth [syn: Solomons, Solomon Islands]

2. CIA World Factbook 2002
Solomon Islands

   Introduction Solomon Islands
   ----------------------------
                            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
                                        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.
  
   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
                                        water: 910 sq km
                                        land: 27,540 sq km
                    Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
                       Land boundaries: 0 km
                             Coastline: 5,313 km
                       Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic
                                        baselines
                                        territorial sea: 12 NM
                                        exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
                                        continental shelf: 200 NM
                               Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of
                                        temperature and weather
                               Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some
                                        low coral atolls
                    Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
                                        highest point: Mount Makarakomburu
                                        2,447 m
                     Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite,
                                        phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
                              Land use: arable land: 1.5%
                                        permanent crops: 0.64%
                                        other: 97.86% (1998 est.)
                        Irrigated land: NA sq km
                       Natural hazards: typhoons, but rarely destructive;
                                        geologically active region with
                                        frequent earth tremors; volcanic
                                        activity
          Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; many of
                                        the surrounding coral reefs are dead
                                        or dying
            Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
                            agreements: Change, Desertification,
                                        Environmental Modification, Law of
                                        the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
                                        Conservation, Ozone Layer
                                        Protection, Whaling
                                        signed, but not ratified: Climate
                                        Change-Kyoto Protocol
                      Geography - note: strategic location on sea routes
                                        between the South Pacific Ocean, the
                                        Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
  
   People Solomon Islands
   ----------------------
                            Population: 494,786 (July 2002 est.)
                         Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 109,339;
                                        female 105,170)
                                        15-64 years: 53.5% (male 134,125;
                                        female 130,804)
                                        65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,467;
                                        female 7,881) (2002 est.)
                Population growth rate: 2.91% (2002 est.)
                            Birth rate: 33.26 births/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                            Death rate: 4.19 deaths/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                    Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                             Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
                                        under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
                                        15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
                                        65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/
                                        female
                                        total population: 1.03 male(s)/
                                        female (2002 est.)
                 Infant mortality rate: 23.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
                                        est.)
              Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.82 years
                                        female: 74.39 years (2002 est.)
                                        male: 69.38 years
                  Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (2002 est.)
      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
     HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
                                  AIDS:
                     HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
                           Nationality: noun: Solomon Islander(s)
                                        adjective: Solomon Islander
                         Ethnic groups: Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%,
                                        Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%,
                                        Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
                             Religions: Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%,
                                        United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%,
                                        Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist
                                        7%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous
                                        beliefs 4%
                             Languages: 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
                              Literacy: definition: NA
                                        total population: NA%
                                        male: NA%
                                        female: NA%
  
   Government Solomon Islands
   --------------------------
                          Country name: conventional long form: none
                                        conventional short form: Solomon
                                        Islands
                                        former: British Solomon Islands
                       Government type: parliamentary democracy tending
                                        toward anarchy
                               Capital: Honiara
              Administrative divisions: 9 provinces and 1 capital
                                        territory*; Central, Choiseul
                                        (Lauru), Guadalcanal, Honiara*,
                                        Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell/
                                        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 Sir John LAPLI
                                        (since NA 1999)
                                        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
  
                                        cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20
                                        members appointed by the governor
                                        general on the advice of the prime
                                        minister from among the members of
                                        Parliament
                                        head of government: Prime Minister
                                        Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December
                                        2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder
                                        RINI (since 17 December 2001)
                    Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (50
                                        seats; members elected from single-
                                        member constituencies by popular
                                        vote to serve four-year terms)
                                        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
                                        elections: last held 5 December 2001
                                        (next to be held by December 2005)
                       Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
         Political parties and leaders: 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 pressure groups and NA
                               leaders:
             International organization ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
                         participation: IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
                                        IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU,
                                        Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD,
                                        UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
   Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
                                        (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeremiah
                                        MANELE
                                        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 the US does not have an embassy in
                                    US: 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
  
   Economy Solomon Islands
   -----------------------
                    Economy - overview: 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.
                                   GDP: purchasing power parity - $800
                                        million (2001 est.)
                GDP - real growth rate: -10% (2001 est.)
                      GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700
                                        (2001 est.)
           GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 42%
                                        industry: 11%
                                        services: 47% (2000 est.)
         Population below poverty line: NA%
     Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
                      percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
      Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.9% (2001 est.)
                           Labor force: 26,842
           Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry 5%,
                                        services 20% (2000 est.)
                     Unemployment rate: NA%
                                Budget: revenues: $38 million (2001)
                                        expenditures: $NA, including capital
                                        expenditures of $NA
                            Industries: fish (tuna), mining, timber
     Industrial production growth rate: NA%
              Electricity - production: 32 million kWh (2000)
    Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
                                        hydro: 0%
                                        other: 0% (2000)
                                        nuclear: 0%
             Electricity - consumption: 29.76 million kWh (2000)
                 Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
                 Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
                Agriculture - products: cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm
                                        kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables,
                                        fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
                               Exports: $165 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
                 Exports - commodities: timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
                    Exports - partners: Japan 22%, China 15%, Philippines
                                        13%, South Korea 12%, UK 12%,
                                        Thailand 5% (2000)
                               Imports: $152 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
                 Imports - commodities: plant and equipment, manufactured
                                        goods, food and live animals, fuels,
                                        chemicals
                    Imports - partners: Australia 27%, Singapore 25%, NZ
                                        5.5%, Japan 5.3%, US 5.1% (2000)
                       Debt - external: $137 million (2001 est.)
              Economic aid - recipient: $28 million mainly from Japan,
                                        Australia, China, and NZ (2001 est.)
                              Currency: Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
                         Currency code: SBD
                        Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars per US
                                        dollar - 5.3728 (December 2001),
                                        5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999), 4.8156
                                        (1998), 3.7169 (1997)
                           Fiscal year: calendar year
  
   Communications Solomon Islands
   ------------------------------
        Telephones - main lines in use: 8,000 (1997)
          Telephones - mobile cellular: 658 (1997)
                      Telephone system: general assessment: NA
                                        domestic: NA
                                        international: satellite earth
                                        station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
              Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
                                Radios: 57,000 (1997)
         Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
                           Televisions: 3,000 (1997)
                 Internet country code: .sb
     Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
                        Internet users: 3,000 (2000)
  
   Transportation Solomon Islands
   ------------------------------
                              Railways: 0 km
                              Highways: total: 1,360 km
                                        paved: 34 km
                                        unpaved: 1,326 km (includes about
                                        800 km of private plantation roads)
                                        (1996 est.)
                             Waterways: none
                     Ports and harbors: Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro,
                                        Viru Harbor, Yandina
                       Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
                              Airports: 31 (2001)
         Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
                                        1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
                                        914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2001)
       Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29
                                        1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
                                        914 to 1,523 m: 9
                                        under 914 m: 19 (2001)
  
   Military Solomon Islands
   ------------------------
                      Military branches: no regular military forces; Solomon
                                         Islands National Reconnaissance and
                                         Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon
                                         Islands Police (RSIP)
          Military expenditures - dollar $NA
                                 figure:
      Military expenditures - percent of NA%
                                    GDP:
  
   Transnational Issues Solomon Islands
   ------------------------------------
                                              Disputes - international: none
  
                                       



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