Compare Finland (2006) - Solomon Islands (2002)

Compare Finland (2006) z Solomon Islands (2002)

	Finland (2006)	Solomon Islands (2002)

Administrative divisions	6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun Laani	9 provinces and 1 capital territory; Central, Choiseul (Lauru), Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell/Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure	0-14 years: 17.1% (male 455,420/female 438,719) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,766,674/female 1,724,858) 65 years and over: 16.2% (male 337,257/female 508,444) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 43.4% (male 109,339; female 105,170) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 134,125; female 130,804) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,467; female 7,881) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish	cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Airports	148 (2006)	31 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 76 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 14 (2006)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 67 (2006)	total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area	total: 338,145 sq km land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km	total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Montana	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.	The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the most bitter fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society.
Birth rate	10.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	33.26 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $99.61 billion expenditures: $97.14 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)	revenues: $38 million (2001) expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Capital	name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 58 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	Honiara
Climate	cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes	tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Coastline	1,250 km	5,313 km
Constitution	1 March 2000	7 July 1978
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands
Currency	-	Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Death rate	9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	4.19 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$211.7 billion (30 June 2005)	$137 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Marilyn WARE embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (9) 616250 FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800	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 Pekka LINTU chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800 FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeremiah MANELE chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925
Disputes - international	various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands	none
Economic aid - donor	ODA, $379 million (2001)	-
Economic aid - recipient	-	$28 million mainly from Japan, Australia, China, and NZ (2001 est.)
Economy - overview	Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 12 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. High unemployment remains a persistent problem.	The bulk of the population depends 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. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation) have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of whom have left the country.
Electricity - consumption	78.94 billion kWh (2003)	29.76 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	7 billion kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	11.9 billion kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	79.61 billion kWh (2003)	32 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations	deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups	Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.7%, Russian 0.4%, Estonian 0.2%, Roma 0.2%, Sami 0.1%	Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Exchange rates	euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)	Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 5.3728 (December 2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999), 4.8156 (1998), 3.7169 (1997)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister Eero HEINALUOMA (since 24 September 2005) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HOLONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2% note: government coalition - Kesk, SDP, and SFP	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir John LAPLI (since NA 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001) 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; 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	101,000 bbl/day (2001)	$165 million f.o.b. (1999 est.)
Exports - commodities	machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999)	timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners	Russia 11.2%, Sweden 10.7%, Germany 10.5%, UK 6.6%, US 6.2%, Netherlands 4.8% (2005)	Japan 22%, China 15%, Philippines 13%, South Korea 12%, UK 12%, Thailand 5% (2000)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish 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
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 2.8% industry: 29.5% services: 67.6% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	3% (2005 est.)	-10% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	64 00 N, 26 00 E	8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note	long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain	strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
Highways	-	total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (includes about 800 km of private plantation roads) (1996 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 21.6% (1991)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	318,300 bbl/day (2001)	$152 million f.o.b. (1999 est.)
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains	plant and equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners	Germany 16.2%, Sweden 14.1%, Russia 13.9%, Netherlands 6.2%, Denmark 4.6%, UK 4.3%, China 4.2% (2005)	Australia 27%, Singapore 25%, NZ 5.5%, Japan 5.3%, US 5.1% (2000)
Independence	6 December 1917 (from Russia)	7 July 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-2% (2005 est.)	NA%
Industries	metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing	fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate	total: 3.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	23.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.9% (2005 est.)	7.9% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC	ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	640 sq km (2003)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president)	Court of Appeal
Labor force	2.61 million (2005 est.)	26,842
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture and forestry 8%, industry 22%, construction 6%, commerce 14%, finance, insurance, and business services 10%, transport and communications 8%, public services 32%	agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 2,681 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,340 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005)	arable land: 1.5% permanent crops: 0.64% other: 97.86% (1998 est.)
Languages	Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003)	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	civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations	English common law, which is widely disregarded
Legislative branch	unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 24.7%, SDP 24.5%, Kok 18.5%, VAS 9.9%, VIHR 8%, KD 5.3%, SFP 4.6%; seats by party - Kesk 55, SDP 53, Kok 40, VAS 19, VIHR 14, KD 7, SFP 8, other 4	unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held by December 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 78.5 years male: 74.99 years female: 82.17 years (2006 est.)	total population: 71.82 years male: 69.38 years female: 74.39 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.)	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references	Europe	Oceania
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 87 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,250,600 GRT/952,072 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 22, chemical tanker 6, container 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 25 foreign-owned: 3 (Norway 1, Russia 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 48 (Bahamas 8, Germany 2, Gibraltar 3, Luxembourg 4, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 13, Norway 4, Sweden 11, UK 1) (2006)	none (2002 est.)
Military branches	Finnish Defense Forces: Army, Navy (includes coastal defense forces), Air Force (2003)	no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$1.8 billion (FY98/99)	$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2% (FY98/99)	NA%
National holiday	Independence Day, 6 December (1917)	Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Nationality	noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish	noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander
Natural hazards	NA	typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Natural resources	timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Net migration rate	0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines	gas 694 km (2006)	-
Political parties and leaders	Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green League or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance or VAS composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative [Martti KORHONEN]; National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN]	Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	5,231,372 (July 2006 est.)	494,786 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	0.14% (2006 est.)	2.91% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	57,000 (1997)
Railways	total: 5,741 km broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2005)	0 km
Religions	Lutheran National Church 84.2%, Greek Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 13.5% (2003)	Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: modern system with excellent service domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; 1 submarine cable (Finland Estonia Connection); satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	2.12 million (2005)	8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	5.231 million (2005)	658 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999)	0 (1997)
Terrain	mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills	mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate	1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.)	4.5 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	8.4% (2005 est.)	NA%
Waterways	7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2005)	none

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