Solomon Islands

From World travel guide

The Solomon Islands are a South Pacific archipelago east of Papua New Guinea. They occupy a strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 History 4.2 Geography 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 By car 6.2 By bus 7 Talk 8 Buy 8.1 Economy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 17.1 Communications 18 External links

Regions

• Choiseul (Lauru)
• Florida and Russell Islands
• Guadalcanal
• Malaita
• New Georgia Islands
• Renell and Bellona
• San Cristobal
• Santa Cruz Islands
• Santa Isabel

Cities

Honiara - capital

Other destinations

Ports and harbors 

Aola Bay, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina

Understand

Population 

494,786 (July 2002 est.)

Ethnic groups 

Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%

History

The Solomon Islands came under a British protectorate in the 1890s. The islands were the scene of many battles during World War II, including the battle of Guadalcanal.

Independence 

7 July 1978 (from UK)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Constitution 

7 July 1978

Following independence in 1978, government corruption and ethnic tensions came to the fore. The Solomons have seen near anarchy in recent years, despite attempts to restore stability. Tensions between the Guadalcanalese islanders and the Malaitan ethnic group have frequently bubbled over to a state of civil war.

Geography

Geographic coordinates 

8 00 S, 159 00 E

Area 

total: 28,450 sq km
water: 910 sq km
land: 27,540 sq 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

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.)

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

Get in

By plane

Airports 

31 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 20 (2002)

By boat

Get around

By car

Highways 

total: 1,360 km
paved: 34 km
unpaved: 1,326 km (includes about 800 km of private plantation roads) (1996 est.)

By bus

Talk

The islands are home to more than 120 indigenous Melanesian languages, with most citizens speaking the local Melanesian pigin as a lingua franca. English is the official language, but spoken by only 1 or 2% of the population.

Buy

Economy

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.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

7.9% (2001 est.)

Labor force 

26,842

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)

Budget 

revenues: $38 million (2001)

Industries 

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Electricity - production 

32 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100% (2000)

Electricity - consumption 

29.76 million 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

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay safe

The security situation in the Solomons can and does change quite rapidly. Prospective visitors should think very carefully about whether a trip to the islands is actually a good idea, and should stay in contact with officials if they decide to travel.

Legal system 

English common law, which is widely disregarded

Military branches 

no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

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 US 

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

Communications

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 

8,400 (2002)

External links

• Official Solomon Islands tourism Web site

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