Political parties and leaders: characterized by fluid coalitions;
TAUSINGA] (leader of opposition); People's Alliance Party or PAP
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen Rex HOROI (represents the
country as both the Permanent Representative to the UN and the
ambassador to the US)
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017
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
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
Economy
Economy—overview: The bulk of the population depend 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. Economic troubles in Southeast Asia led to a steep downturn in the timber industry, and economic output declined by about 10% in 1998. The government instituted public service pay cuts and other retrenchments.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.15 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: -10% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,600 (1998 est.)