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Compare Kuwait (2005) - Solomon Islands (2007)
Compare Kuwait (2005) z Solomon Islands (2007)
| Kuwait (2005) | Solomon Islands (2007) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli | 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 27.2% (male 323,382/female 311,700)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 1,045,589/female 591,243) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 40,439/female 23,295) (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 | practically no crops; fish | cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish |
| Airports | 7 (2004 est.) | 35 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 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: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2007) |
| Area | total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 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 New Jersey | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Background | Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91. | 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 | 21.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 29.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $35.82 billion
expenditures: $19.53 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
revenues: $49.7 million
expenditures: $75.1 million (2003) |
| Capital | Kuwait | name: Honiara
geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters | tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather |
| Coastline | 499 km | 5,313 km |
| Constitution | approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 | 7 July 1978 |
| Country name | conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands local long form: none local short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands |
| Death rate | 2.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Debt - external | $15.02 billion (2004 est.) | $166 million (2004) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Richard LEBARON
embassy: Bayan, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 539-5307, 5308 FAX: [965] 538-0282 |
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 SALIM Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 364-2868 |
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 | Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf | since 2003, Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security |
| Economic aid - recipient | NA (2001) | $198.2 million annually, mainly from Australia (2005 est.) |
| Economy - overview | Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country. | 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 | 30.16 billion kWh (2002) | 55.8 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production | 32.43 billion kWh (2002) | 60 million kWh (2005) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m |
| Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification | deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping |
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 | Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% | Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census) |
| Exchange rates | Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001), 0.3068 (2000) | Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 31 December 1977); Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah
head of government: Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 13 July 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior NAWWAF al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 2001) and Muhammad Dayfallah al-SHARAR (since 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers 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 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 2006 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 | 1.97 million bbl/day (2003) | NA bbl/day |
| Exports - commodities | oil and refined products, fertilizers | timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa |
| Exports - partners | Japan 20.5%, South Korea 13.7%, US 12.4%, Singapore 11.3%, Taiwan 9.9% (2004) | 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 | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I | 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: 0.4%
industry: 60.5% services: 39.1% (2004 est.) |
agriculture: 42%
industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $21,300 (2004 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 6.8% (2004 est.) | 4.4% (2005 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 30 N, 45 45 E | 8 00 S, 159 00 E |
| Geography - note | strategic location at head of Persian Gulf | 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 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 |
| Heliports | 3 (2004 est.) | 3 (2007) |
| Highways | total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,587 km unpaved: 863 km (1999 est.) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Imports | NA | NA bbl/day |
| Imports - commodities | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing | food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals |
| Imports - partners | US 12.9%, Germany 11.9%, Japan 7.9%, UK 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Italy 5%, France 4.5%, China 4.1% (2004) | Australia 25.5%, Singapore 23.5%, Japan 7.8%, NZ 5.1%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2006) |
| Independence | 19 June 1961 (from UK) | 7 July 1978 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | -5% (2002 est.) | NA% |
| Industries | petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials | fish (tuna), mining, timber |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.9 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) | 2.3% (2004 est.) | 6.6% (2005 est.) |
| International organization participation | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | 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 |
| Irrigated land | 60 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
| Judicial branch | High Court of Appeal | Court of Appeal |
| Labor force | 1.42 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2004 est.) |
249,200 (1999) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA | agriculture: 75%
industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 0.73%
permanent crops: 0.11% other: 99.16% (2001) |
arable land: 0.62%
permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005) |
| Languages | Arabic (official), English widely spoken | 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 | civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English common law, which is widely disregarded |
| Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Islamists 21, government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly |
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: 77.03 years
male: 76.01 years female: 78.1 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 73.16 years
male: 70.64 years female: 75.81 years (2007 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5% male: 85.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea |
| Map references | Middle East | Oceania |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
| Merchant marine | total: 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,319,082 GRT/3,768,828 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 20 registered in other countries: 19 (2005) |
- |
| Military branches | Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense Force), National Guard (2002) | no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $2,584.5 million (2004) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 5.3% (2004) | 3% (2006) |
| National holiday | National Day, 25 February (1950) | Independence Day, 7 July (1978) |
| Nationality | noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti |
noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander |
| Natural hazards | sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August | typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis |
| Natural resources | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas | fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel |
| Net migration rate | 14.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Pipelines | gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | none; formation of political parties is illegal | 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 | several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and nationalists | 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 | 2,335,648
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2005 est.) |
566,842 (July 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 3.44%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2005 est.) |
2.54% (2007 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004) |
| Religions | Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% | 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.52 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 | adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996, naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the first time |
21 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: country code - 965; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 486,900 (2003) | 7,400 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 1.42 million (2003) | 6,000 (2005) |
| Television broadcast stations | 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997) | - |
| Terrain | flat to slightly undulating desert plain | mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls |
| Total fertility rate | 2.97 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 3.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% (2004 est.) | NA% |
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