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| Introduction | Solomon Islands |
| Background: | The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest 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. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen 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. |
| People | Solomon Islands |
| Population: | 523,617 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816) 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 18.4 years male: 18.3 years female: 18.5 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.76% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| 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: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 22.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 72.38 years male: 69.9 years female: 74.98 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| 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, 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) 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 Sir 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 not later than 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 leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 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, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS, 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: | June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003 |
| Communications | Solomon Islands |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 6,600 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 1,000 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; 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 hosts: | 398 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 2,200 (2002) |
| Transportation | Solomon Islands |
| Highways: | total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.) |
| Ports and harbors: | Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina |
| Merchant marine: | none |
| Airports: | 33 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Solomon Islands |
| Military branches: | no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | NA |
| Transnational Issues | Solomon Islands |
| Disputes - international: | Australian defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the islands and reinforce regional security |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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