:Slovenia Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 444,030; NA fit for military service; 18,219 reach military age
(18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - 13.5 billion Slovene Tolars, 4.5% of GDP (1992);
note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current
exchange rate could produce misleading results
:Solomon Islands Geography
Total area:
28,450 km2
Land area:
27,540 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
5,313 km
Maritime claims:
(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Natural resources:
fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates
Land use:
arable land 1%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and
woodland 93%; other 4%
Environment:
subject to typhoons, which are rarely destructive; geologically active
region with frequent earth tremors
Note:
located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
:Solomon Islands People
Population:
360,010 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
40 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
30 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
67 years male, 72 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Solomon Islander(s); adjective - Solomon Islander
Ethnic divisions:
Melanesian 93.0%, Polynesian 4.0%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese
0.3%, other 0.4%
Religions:
almost all at least nominally Christian; Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%,
Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%,
other Protestant 5%
Languages:
120 indigenous languages; Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua
franca; English spoken by 1-2% of population
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
23,448 economically active; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 32.4%;
services 25%; construction, manufacturing, and mining 7.0%; commerce,
transport, and finance 4.7% (1984)
Organized labor:
NA, but most of the cash-economy workers have trade union representation
:Solomon Islands Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Honiara
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira,
Malaita, Temotu, Western
Independence:
7 July 1978 (from UK; formerly British Solomon Islands)
Constitution:
7 July 1978
Legal system:
common law
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament
Judicial branch:
High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
Sir George LEPPING (since 27 June 1989, previously acted as governor general
since 7 July 1988)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 28 March 1989); Deputy Prime Minister
Sir Baddeley DEVESI (since NA October 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
People's Alliance Party (PAP); United Party (UP), leader NA; Solomon Islands
Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew ULUFA'ALU; Nationalist Front for Progress
(NFP), Andrew NORI; Labor Party (LP), Joses TUHANUKU
Suffrage:
universal at age 21
Elections:
National Parliament:
last held 22 February 1989 (next to be held NA February 1993); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (38 total) PAP 13, UP 6, NFP 4, SILP 4,
LP 2, independents 9
Member of:
ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IOC, ITU, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador (vacant) resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands)
US:
the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands;
Embassy at Mud Alley, Honiara (mailing address is American Embassy, P. O.
Box 561, Honiara); telephone (677) 23890; FAX (677) 23488
Flag:
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
:Solomon Islands Economy
Overview:
About 90% of the population depend on subsistence agriculture, fishing, and
forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Agriculture, fishing, and
forestry contribute about 70% to GDP, with the fishing and forestry sectors
being important export earners. The service sector contributes about 25% to
GDP. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The
islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc,
nickel, and gold. The economy suffered from a severe cyclone in mid-1986
that caused widespread damage to the infrastructure.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $200 million, per capita $600; real growth rate
6.0% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.2% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $44 million; expenditures $45 million, including capital
expenditures of $22 million (1989 est.)
Exports:
$67.3 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
fish 46%, timber 31%, copra 5%, palm oil 5%
partners:
Japan 51%, UK 12%, Thailand 9%, Netherlands 8%, Australia 2%, US 2% (1985)
Imports:
$86.0 million (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
plant and machinery 30%, fuel 19%, food 16%
partners:
Japan 36%, US 23%, Singapore 9%, UK 9%, NZ 9%, Australia 4%, Hong Kong 4%,
China 3% (1985)
External debt:
$128 million (1988 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0% (1987); accounts for 5% of GDP
Electricity:
21,000 kW capacity; 39 million kWh produced, 115 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
copra, fish (tuna)
Agriculture:
including fishing and forestry, accounts for about 70% of GDP; mostly
subsistence farming; cash crops - cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels,
timber; other products - rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs;
not self-sufficient in food grains; 90% of the total fish catch of 44,500
metric tons was exported (1988)
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89),
$250 million
Currency:
Solomon Islands dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) =
100 cents
Exchange rates:
Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 2.8740 (March 1992), 2.7148 (1991),
2.5288 (1990), 2.2932 (1989), 2.0825 (1988), 2.0033 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year