Jersey (2005) | Solomon Islands (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency) | 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 8,222/female 7,658)
15-64 years: 67% (male 30,296/female 30,561) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 6,176/female 7,899) (2005 est.) |
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.) |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 35 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2007) |
Area | total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 28,450 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km |
Area - comparative | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Maryland |
Background | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | 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. |
Birth rate | 9.66 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 29.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $49.7 million
expenditures: $75.1 million (2003) |
Capital | Saint Helier | name: Honiara
geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather |
Coastline | 70 km | 5,313 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 7 July 1978 |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands local long form: none local short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands |
Death rate | 9.19 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | none | $166 million (2004) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | 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 | none (British crown dependency) | 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 | since 2003, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, has assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while reinforcing regional stability and security |
Economic aid - recipient | none | $198.2 million annually, mainly from Australia (2005 est.) |
Economy - overview | The Channel Island economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) | 55.8 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | - | 60 million kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying |
Environment - international agreements | - | 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 | Jersey 51.1%, British 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) | Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census) |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
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 |
Exports | $NA | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa |
Exports - partners | UK | China 48%, South Korea 9.5%, Japan 8.9%, Thailand 4.7%, Italy 4.4%, Philippines 4.2% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow | 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 - composition by sector | agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
agriculture: 42%
industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $40,000 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 4.4% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 8 00 S, 159 00 E |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | 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 |
Government - note | - | by the end of 2007, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - originally made up of police and troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga - had been scaled back to 303 police officers, 197 civilian technical advisers, and 72 military advisers from 15 countries across the region |
Heliports | - | 3 (2007) |
Highways | total: 577 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | 1,296 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | UK | Australia 25.5%, Singapore 23.5%, Japan 7.8%, NZ 5.1%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2006) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 7 July 1978 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy | fish (tuna), mining, timber |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
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.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.3% (2004) | 6.6% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | - | ACP, ADB, 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 |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 52,790 (2004) | 249,200 (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture: 75%
industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 0.62%
permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005) |
Languages | English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) | Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | English common law, which is widely disregarded |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 53 |
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 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.24 years
male: 76.77 years female: 81.91 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 73.16 years
male: 70.64 years female: 75.81 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea |
Map references | Europe | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 3% (2006) |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Independence Day, 7 July (1978) |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander |
Natural hazards | NA | typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis |
Natural resources | arable land | fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel |
Net migration rate | 2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | 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 | none | 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 | 90,812 (July 2005 est.) | 566,842 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.32% (2005 est.) | 2.54% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004) |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | 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: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
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.) |
Suffrage | NA years of age; universal adult | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 73,900 (2001) | 7,400 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 61,400 (2001) | 6,000 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | - |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls |
Total fertility rate | 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 3.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.9% (2004 est.) | NA% |