Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, then Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has generally been effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.
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Location:
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Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 00 S, 159 00 E
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total: 28,450 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km
water: 910 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Maryland
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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5,313 km
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Maritime claims:
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measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
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Natural resources:
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fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.62%
permanent crops: 2.04%
other: 97.34% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Total renewable water resources:
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44.7 cu km (1987)
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Natural hazards:
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typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; on 2 April 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred 345 km WNW of the capital Honiara, the resulting tsunami devastated coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was especially hard hit
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Population:
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566,842 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 40.7% (male 117,739/female 113,125)
15-64 years: 55.9% (male 160,310/female 156,773)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 9,036/female 9,859) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 19.1 years
male: 19 years
female: 19.3 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.54% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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29.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.023 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.917 male(s)/female
total population: 1.026 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 19.97 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.16 years
male: 70.64 years
female: 75.81 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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3.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander
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Ethnic groups:
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Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)
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Religions:
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Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census)
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Languages:
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Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands
local long form: none
local short form: Solomon Islands
former: British Solomon Islands
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy
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Capital:
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name: Honiara
geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E
time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and 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 Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Derek SIKUA (since 20 December 2007); note - Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE defeated in a no confidence vote in parliament on 13 December 2007; SIKUA elected on 20 December 2007
cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years (eligible for a second term); 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
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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)
elections: last held on 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, PAP 6.3%, SIPRA 6.3%, Liberal 5%, Democratic 4.9%, SOCRED 4.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30
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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 Independent Members or AIM [Thomas CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA]; LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party [Francis HILLY]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA]; Social Credit Party or SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon First Party [David QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel SURI]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon Islands Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter KENILOREA]
note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003
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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, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK
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
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Government - note:
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by 2006, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - originally made up of troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga - had been scaled back to 259 police officers and 20 military, in addition to civilian technical advisers; in response to rioting that broke out in mid-April 2006, Australia dispatched an additional 220 troops and 70 police officers to help restore order
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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 its 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. Prior to the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI's efforts to restore law and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as the economy rebuilds.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$800 million (2002 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$286 million (2005)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.4% (2005 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$600 (2005 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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Labor force:
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249,200 (1999)
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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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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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6.6% (2005 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $49.7 million
expenditures: $75.1 million (2003)
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Agriculture - products:
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cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish
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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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60 million kWh (2005)
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Electricity - consumption:
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55.8 million kWh (2005)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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1,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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0 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - imports:
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1,296 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2005)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Exports:
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$237 million f.o.b. (2006)
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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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China 48%, South Korea 9.5%, Japan 8.9%, Thailand 4.7%, Italy 4.4%, Philippines 4.2% (2006)
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Imports:
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$256 million f.o.b. (2006)
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Imports - partners:
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Australia 25.5%, Singapore 23.5%, Japan 7.8%, NZ 5.1%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$198.2 million annually, mainly from Australia (2005 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$166 million (2004)
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Currency (code):
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Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
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Exchange rates:
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Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Airports:
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35 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 23 (2007)
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Heliports:
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3 (2007)
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Roadways:
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total: 1,360 km
paved: 34 km
unpaved: 1,326 km (1999)
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Ports and terminals:
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Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor
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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008
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