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Compare Liberia (2002) - Solomon Islands (2004)

Compare Liberia (2002) z Solomon Islands (2004)

 Liberia (2002)Solomon Islands (2004)
 LiberiaSolomon Islands
Administrative divisions 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gparbolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.3% (male 714,563; female 709,582)


15-64 years: 53.2% (male 854,324; female 894,753)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 57,925; female 57,051) (2002 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 47 (2001) 33 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 45


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 34 (2002)
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. In 2001, the UN imposed sanctions on Liberian diamonds along with an army embargo and a travel ban on government officials for Liberia's support of the rebel insurgency in Sierra Leone. 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 45.95 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $85.4 million


expenditures: $90.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
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 16.05 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $2.1 billion (2000 est.) $162.5 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III


embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia


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 V. S. 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 rebels and refugees contribute to border instabilities with 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 $94 million (1999) $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; 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 and timber industry 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 and containment of armed rebellion. 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 418.5 million kWh (2000) 29.76 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 450 million kWh (2000) 32 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
-
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 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, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), 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 - 46.0400 (December 2001), 48.5833 (2001), 40.9525 (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 October 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 rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners Belgium 38.5%, Germany 17.6%, Italy 6.0%, US 5.8% (2000) 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 - $3.6 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 60%


industry: 10%


services: 30% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 42%


industry: 11%


services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2001 est.) -10% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 30 N, 9 30 W 8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture 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 transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center -
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 France 29.1%, South Korea 20.6%, Japan 15.8%, Singapore 8.4% (2000) 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, timber, diamonds fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate 130.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 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) 8% (2001 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, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), 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) 2 (2001) -
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1998 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% (2000 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: 1.97%


permanent crops: 2.08%


other: 95.95% (1998 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 NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held 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: 51.8 years


male: 50.33 years


female: 53.33 years (2002 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: 1,513 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 51,912,244 GRT/79,297,046 DWT


ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 313, cargo 89, chemical tanker 167, combination bulk 16, combination ore/oil 32, container 318, liquefied gas 99, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 23, petroleum tanker 302, refrigerated cargo 69, roll on/roll off 20, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 42


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 9, Australia 2, Austria 15, Belgium 9, Brazil 5, Canada 4, Cayman Islands 1, Chile 7, China 39, Croatia 11, Denmark 4, Ecuador 1, Estonia 1, Germany 437, Greece 154, Hong Kong 69, India 5, Indonesia 1, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 90, Latvia 20, Man, Isle of 5, Monaco 56, Netherlands 12, New Zealand 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 103, Pakistan 1, Portugal 5, Russia 66, Saudi Arabia 21, Singapore 20, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, South Korea 10, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Switzerland 17, Taiwan 29, Turkey 3, Ukraine 4, United Arab Emirates 12, United Kingdom 39, United States 113, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)
none
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $7.8 million (FY01) NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.3% (FY01) NA
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 729,469 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 393,028 (2002 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 -10.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees who had fled the domestic strife were assumed to have returned (2002 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [George BORWAH]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian National Union or LINU [Victor MOMOH]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac D. DIKENAH]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Weah A. WEAH]; Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [James THOMAS]; True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN]; United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; 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 3,288,198 (July 2002 est.) 523,617 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 80% NA
Population growth rate 1.91% (2002 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 7, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 790,000 (1997) -
Railways total: 490 km (328 km single-track)


standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge


note: in 1989, Liberia had 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 (2001)
-
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: 1.01 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 1.02 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: 0.93 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 6,700 (2000) 6,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1998) 1,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) 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 6.29 children born/woman (2002 est.) 4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 70% NA
Waterways none -
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