Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor-general Prime minister: Danny Philip
Head of state: Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi Prime minister: Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi
Population
584,578
194,320
Life Expectancy
74.420 years
72.660 years
Capital City
Largest city
Honiara (population: 56,298)
Apia (population: 40,407)
Human Development Index
0.591
0.76
GDP per capita
Literacy Rate
%
99.7%
Corruption Perception Index
2.9
4.4
Percentage of Women in Parliament
0%
8.2%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
parliamentary democracy
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
Religions
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)
Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 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
Samoan (Polynesian), English
Exports
External Debt
Exchange Rate
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand
Area
28,896 km sq
2,831 km sq
Coastline
5,313 km
403 km
Climate
tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)
