Railroads:
1,200 km, 1.435 m gauge (1991)
Highways:
total:
14,553 km
paved:
10,525 km
unpaved:
gravel 4,028 km
Inland waterways:
NA
Pipelines:
crude oil 290 km; natural gas 305 km
Ports:
coastal - Koper
Merchant marine:
19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 309,502 GRT/521,997 DWT
controlled by Slovenian owners, bulk 13, cargo 6
note:
most under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; no ships
remain under the Slovenian flag
Airports:
total:
14
usable:
13
with permanent-surface runways:
6
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
2
Telecommunications:
130,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 5 FM, 7 TV; 370,000
radios; 330,000 TVs
@Slovenia, Defense Forces
Branches:
Slovene Defense Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 513,885; fit for military service 411,619; reach
military age (19) annually 15,157 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
13.5 billion tolars, 4.5% of GDP (1993); note - conversion of the
military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
produce misleading results
@Solomon Islands, Geography
Location:
Oceania, Melanesia, just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific
Ocean
Map references:
Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
28,450 sq km
land area:
27,540 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
5,313 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International 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, lead, zinc, nickel
Land use:
arable land:
1%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
1%
forest and woodland:
93%
other:
4%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; limited arable land
natural hazards:
subject to typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically
active region with frequent earth tremors
international agreements:
party to - Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
@Solomon Islands, People
Population:
385,811 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.43% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
38.93 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
4.63 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
27.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.48 years
male:
68.05 years
female:
73.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.73 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Solomon Islander(s)
adjective:
Solomon Islander
Ethnic divisions:
Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%,
Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Religions:
Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United
(Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other
Protestant 5%
Languages:
Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English
spoken by 1%-2% of population
note:
120 indigenous languages
Literacy:
total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
23,448 economically active
by occupation:
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 32.4%, services 25%, construction,
manufacturing, and mining 7.0%, commerce, transport, and finance 4.7%
(1984)
@Solomon Islands, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Solomon Islands
former:
British Solomon Islands
Digraph:
BP
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)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution:
7 July 1978
Legal system:
common law
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
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 Francis Billy HILLY (since June 1993); Deputy Prime
Minister Francis SAEMALA (since June 1993)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime
minister from members of parliament
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Parliament:
elections last held NA May 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) National Unity Group
21, PAP 8, National Action Party 6, LP 4, UP 3, Christian Fellowship
2, NFP 1, independents 2
Judicial branch:
High Court
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;
National Action Party, leader NA; Christian Fellowship, leader NA;
National Unity Group, Solomon MAMALONI
Member of:
ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPARTECA, SPC,
SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
(vacant); ambassador traditionally resides in Honiara (Solomon
Islands)
US diplomatic representation:
embassy closed July 1993; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is
accredited to the Solomon Islands
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