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Compare Liberia (2001) - Solomon Islands (2004)

Compare Liberia (2001) z Solomon Islands (2004)

 Liberia (2001)Solomon Islands (2004)
 LiberiaSolomon Islands
Administrative divisions 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure 0-14 years:
43.21% (male 698,178; female 695,599)

15-64 years:
53.34% (male 840,103; female 880,403)

65 years and over:
3.45% (male 56,073; female 55,481) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816)


15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Airports 46 (2000 est.) 33 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
2

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
44

1,524 to 2,437 m:
3

914 to 1,523 m:
5

under 914 m:
36 (2000 est.)
total: 31


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area total:
111,370 sq km

land:
96,320 sq km

water:
15,050 sq km
total: 28,450 sq km


land: 27,540 sq km


water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Tennessee slightly smaller than Maryland
Background Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. The years of fighting coupled with the flight of most businesses have disrupted formal economic activity. A still unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country. The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest 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. 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 46.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues:
$NA

expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
revenues: $38 million


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001)
Capital Monrovia Honiara
Climate tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Coastline 579 km 5,313 km
Constitution 6 January 1986 7 July 1978
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Liberia

conventional short form:
Liberia
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Solomon Islands


former: British Solomon Islands
Currency Liberian dollar (LRD) Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Death rate 16.36 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $3 billion (1999 est.) $162.5 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK

embassy:
111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, Monrovia

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[231] 226-370 through 226-380

FAX:
[231] 226-148
the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS, is accredited to the Solomon Islands
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador William BULL

chancery:
5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone:
[1] (202) 723-0437

FAX:
[1] (202) 723-0436

consulate(s) general:
New York
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 large refugee population from civil war in Sierra Leone Australian defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the islands and reinforce regional security
Economic aid - recipient $200 million pledged (1998) $28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2001 est.)
Economy - overview A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned during 1997. Many will not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The democratically elected government, installed in August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its maritime registry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government, including the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has been from a low base, and continued growth will require major policy successes. 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. The disintegration of law and order left the economy in tatters by mid-2003, and on 24 July 2003 more than 2000 Australian soldiers entered the Solomon Islands to restore order and to facilitate the restoration of basic services.
Electricity - consumption 401.8 million kWh (1999) 29.76 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 432 million kWh (1999) 32 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Environment - current issues tropical rain forest subject to deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
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 indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves) Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Exchange rates Liberian dollars per US dollar - 39.8100 (December 2000), 41.0483 (2000), 41.9025 (1999), 41.5075 (1998), 1.0000 (officially fixed rate 1940-97); market exchange rate: Liberian dollars per US dollar - 40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995)

note:
until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship with the US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market determined
Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2003)

election results:
Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%
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 Sir 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 $55 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners Belgium 53%, Switzerland 9%, US 6%, France 4% (1999) China 25.2%, South Korea 17.6%, Japan 13.4%, Philippines 8.4%, Singapore 5.9%, Thailand 5.9% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US 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 - $3.35 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
60%

industry:
10%

services:
30% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 42%


industry: 11%


services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 15% (2000 est.) -10% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 30 N, 9 30 W 8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note - strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
Government - note - June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003
Highways total:
10,600 km

paved:
657 km

unpaved:
9,943 km

note:
(there is major deterioration on all highways due to heavy rains and lack of maintenance) (1996 est.)
total: 1,360 km


paved: 34 km


unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs increasingly a transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets -
Imports $170 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners South Korea 30%, Italy 24%, Japan 15%, Germany 9% (1999) Australia 29.7%, Singapore 21.9%, Fiji 4.7%, New Zealand 4.7% (2003)
Independence 26 July 1847 7 July 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA
Industries rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate 132.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 22.09 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2000 est.) 9% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1993 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court Court of Appeal
Labor force - 26,840 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (1999 est.) agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries total:
1,585 km

border countries:
Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
0 km
Land use arable land:
1%

permanent crops:
3%

permanent pastures:
59%

forests and woodland:
18%

other:
19% (1993 est.)
arable land: 0.64%


permanent crops: 2%


other: 97.36% (2001)
Languages English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence 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 dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector English common law, which is widely disregarded
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2003)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note - the Alliance of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia Unification Party or LUP
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 not later than 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:
51.41 years

male:
49.96 years

female:
52.91 years (2001 est.)
total population: 72.38 years


male: 69.9 years


female: 74.98 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
38.3%

male:
53.9%

female:
22.4% (1995 est.)

note:
these figures are increasing because of the improving school system
definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references Africa Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea:
200 NM
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm
Merchant marine total:
1,478 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 49,456,361 GRT/76,620,648 DWT

ships by type:
barge carrier 3, bulk 324, cargo 97, chemical tanker 163, combination bulk 20, combination ore/oil 38, container 245, liquefied gas 97, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 24, petroleum tanker 310, refrigerated cargo 74, roll on/roll off 19, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 45

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 8, Australia 1, Ashmore and Cartier Islands 1, Austria 5, Bermuda 5, Belgium 5, Burma 1, Brazil 8, Canada 1, China 28, Chile 7, Costa Rica 8, Cyprus 27, Denmark 4, Ecuador 1, Germany 117, Greece 83, Hong Kong 54, Croatia 9, Indonesia 2, India 8, Israel 1, Italy 8, Japan 85, South Korea 8, Latvia 15, Monaco 28, Mexico 6, Malaysia 1, Nigeria 1, Netherlands 7, Norway 86, Netherlands Antilles 1, NZ 1, Poland 2, Portugal 2, Philippines 1, Russia 22, Saudi Arabia 20, South Africa 1, Slovenia 1, Singapore 30, Spain 1, Sweden 8, Switzerland 23, UAE 5, Taiwan 10, UK 15, US 85, Uruguay 1, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.)
none
Military branches Army, Air Force, Navy no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $1 million (FY98) NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2% (FY98) NA
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
715,753 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
385,460 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 26 July (1847) Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Nationality noun:
Liberian(s)

adjective:
Liberian
noun: Solomon Islander(s)


adjective: Solomon Islander
Natural hazards dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Natural resources iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Net migration rate -11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

note:
by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees, who had fled the domestic strife, were assumed to have returned
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Lusinee KAMARA]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [Cletus WOTORSON]; Liberian National Union or LINU [Henry MONIBA, chairman]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Togba-Nah TIPOTEH, chairman]; National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac DAKINAH]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Charles Ghankay TAYLOR] - governing party; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Chea CHEAPOO, chairman]; Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [Henry Boimah FAHNBULLEH, chairman]; True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN, chairman]; United People's Party or UPP [Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman]; Unity Party or UP [Charles Clarke] 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 NA
Population 3,225,837 (July 2001 est.) 523,617 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 80% NA
Population growth rate 1.92% (2001 est.) 2.76% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 4 (1999) AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 790,000 (1997) -
Railways total:
490 km (328 km single track); note - three rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down by the civil war; large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for scrap

standard gauge:
345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:
145 km 1.067-m gauge
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% 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:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
1.01 male(s)/female

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 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: 0.93 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia

domestic:
NA

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 6,000 (1997) 6,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1995) 1,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2000) 0 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate 6.36 children born/woman (2001 est.) 4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 70% NA
Waterways none -
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