Compare Central African Republic (2002) - Solomon Islands (2006)

Compare Central African Republic (2002) z Solomon Islands (2006)

	Central African Republic (2002)	Solomon Islands (2006)

Administrative divisions	14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha, Vakaga	9 provinces and 1 capital territory; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure	0-14 years: 43% (male 788,417; female 776,721) 15-64 years: 53.2% (male 951,908; female 986,947) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 60,395; female 78,351) (2002 est.)	0-14 years: 41.3% (male 116,370/female 111,834) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 154,793/female 151,308) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,696/female 9,437) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber	cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish
Airports	51 (2001)	35 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 47 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 13 (2002)	total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2006)
Area	total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Texas	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - a civilian government was installed in 1993.	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, 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 been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.
Birth rate	36.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	30.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA	revenues: $49.7 million expenditures: $75.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Capital	Bangui	name: Honiara geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers	tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	5,313 km
Constitution	passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January 1995	7 July 1978
Country name	conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire abbreviation: CAR	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands local long form: none local short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands
Currency	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States	-
Death rate	18.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$881.4 million (2000 est.)	$166 million (2004)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Mattie R. SHARPLESS embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00 FAX: [236] 61 44 94	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
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893	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
Disputes - international	none	Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security
Economic aid - recipient	$172.2 million (1995); note - traditional budget subsidies from France (1995)	$122 million annually, mainly from Australia (2004 est.)
Economy - overview	Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry for 54%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. The 50% devaluation of the currencies of 14 Francophone African nations on 12 January 1994 had mixed effects on the CAR's economy. Diamond, timber, coffee, and cotton exports increased, leading an estimated rise of GDP of 7% in 1994 and nearly 5% in 1995. Military rebellions and social unrest in 1996 were accompanied by widespread destruction of property and a drop in GDP of 2%. The IMF approved an Extended Structure Adjustment Facility in 1998 and the World Bank extended further credits in 1999 and approved a $10 million loan in early 2001. As of January 2002, many civil servants were owed as much as 16 months pay during the PATASSE administration, as well as 14 months pay from the KOLINGBA administration.	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 has enabled a return to law and order, a new period of economic stability, and modest growth as the economy rebuilds.
Electricity - consumption	96.72 million kWh (2000)	51.15 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2000)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2000)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	104 million kWh (2000)	55 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 20% hydro: 80% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Environment - current issues	tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished its reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation	deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	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
Ethnic groups	Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%	Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)
Exchange rates	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro	Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Ange-Felix PATASSE (since 22 October 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Martin ZIGUELE (since 1 April 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 19 September 1999 (next to be held NA September 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ange-Felix PATASSE reelected president; percent of vote - Ange-Felix PATASSE 51.63%, Andre KOLINGBA 19.38%, David DACKO 11.15%	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 Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 4 May 2006); note - Prime Minister Snyder RINI, elected on 18 April 2006 and sworn in on 20 April 2006, resigned on 26 April prior to no confidence vote in parliament; SOGAVARE elected on 4 May 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
Exports	$166 million f.o.b. (2000)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco	timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners	Benelux 64%, Cote d'Ivoire, Spain, China, Egypt, France (1999)	China 40.7%, South Korea 13.2%, Thailand 6.9%, Japan 6.3%, Philippines 4.5%, Italy 4.1% (2005)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band	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
GDP	purchasing power parity - $4.6 billion (2001 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2001 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	1.8% (2001 est.)	4.4% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	7 00 N, 21 00 E	8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note	landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa	strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
Government - note	-	June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003; by 2006, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) 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 addtional 220 troops and 70 police officers to help restore order
Highways	total: 23,810 km paved: 429 km unpaved: 23,381 km (2000)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 48% (1993) (1993)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	$154 million f.o.b. (2000)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products	food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners	France 35%, Cameroon 13%, Benelux, Cote d'Ivoire, Germany, Japan (1999)	Australia 25.8%, Singapore 25.3%, NZ 4.6%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2005)
Independence	13 August 1960 (from France)	7 July 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	3.9% (2001)	NA%
Industries	diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles	fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate	103.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	total: 20.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.6% (2001 est.)	6.6% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC (observer), OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO	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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2002)	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts	Court of Appeal
Labor force	NA	249,200 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture: 75% industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 5,203 km border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.76% (1998 est.)	arable land: 0.62% permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005)
Languages	French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages	Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population note: 120 indigenous languages
Legal system	based on French law	English common law, which is widely disregarded
Legislative branch	unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - there were 85 seats in the National Assembly before the 1998 election) elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD 9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%, independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD 6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7	unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, SIPRA 6.3%, Democratic 4.9%, PAP 6.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, Liberal 5%, SOCRED 4.3%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 43.58 years male: 42.08 years female: 45.13 years (2002 est.)	total population: 72.91 years male: 70.4 years female: 75.55 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60% male: 68.5% female: 52.4% (1995 est.)	definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Location	Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references	Africa	Oceania
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Military branches	Central African Armed Forces (FACA) (including Republican Guard, Ground Forces, Naval Forces, and Air Force), Presidential Security Guard, Gendarmerie, National Police	no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$29 million (FY96)	NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.2% (FY96)	NA
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 845,182 (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 442,220 (2002 est.)	-
National holiday	Republic Day, 1 December (1958)	Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Nationality	noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African	noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common	typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Natural resources	diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Jacques MBOLIEDAS]; Central African Democratic Assembly or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [the party of the president, Ange-Felix PATASSE]; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]	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
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	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
Population	3,642,739 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)	552,438 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	1.8% (2002 est.)	2.61% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors	Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004)
Radios	283,000 (1997)	-
Railways	0 km	-
Religions	indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority	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)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: fair system domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	9,500 (2000)	7,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	710 (1998)	6,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2001)	-
Terrain	vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest	mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate	4.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)	3.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)	NA%
Waterways	900 km note: traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river, navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less; 282 km navigable to craft drawing as much as 1.8 m	-

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