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NAVIGATION
Solomon Islands
former: British Solomon Islands
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy |
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Capital:
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Honiara |
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Administrative divisions:
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9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul (Lauru), Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell/Bellona, Temotu, Western |
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Independence:
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7 July 1978 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 7 July (1978) |
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Constitution:
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7 July 1978 |
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Legal system:
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English common law, which is widely disregarded |
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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) |
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Legislative branch:
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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) |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-10% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 42%
industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.8% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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26,842 |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $38 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) |
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Industries:
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fish (tuna), mining, timber |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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32 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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29.76 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,250 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish |
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Exports:
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$47 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 19.8%, South Korea 17.8%, Philippines 11.3%, China 9.6%, Thailand 8.6%, UK 1.2% (2001) |
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Imports:
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$82 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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Australia 29.3%, Singapore 18.3%, US 7.1%, NZ 4.9%, Fiji 3.7%, Japan 3.4% (2000) |
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Debt - external:
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$137 million (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$28 million mainly from Japan, Australia, China, and NZ (2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) |
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Currency code:
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SBD |
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Exchange rates:
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Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2002), NA (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999), 4.8157 (1998) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |