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Compare Reunion (2001) - Solomon Islands (2004)
Compare Reunion (2001) z Solomon Islands (2004)
| Reunion (2001) | Solomon Islands (2004) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons | 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
32.07% (male 120,259; female 114,669) 15-64 years: 62.25% (male 224,347; female 231,698) 65 years and over: 5.68% (male 16,892; female 24,705) (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 | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn | cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish |
| Airports | 2 (2000 est.) | 33 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 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: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total:
2,512 sq km land: 2,502 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total: 28,450 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Background | The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. | 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 | 21.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
NA expenditures: NA |
revenues: $38 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001) |
| Capital | Saint-Denis | Honiara |
| Climate | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April | tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather |
| Coastline | 207 km | 5,313 km |
| Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | 7 July 1978 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands |
| Currency | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) | Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) |
| Death rate | 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Debt - external | $NA | $162.5 million (2001 est.) |
| Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | 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 | none (overseas department of France) | 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 | 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 | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France | $28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2001 est.) |
| Economy - overview | The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to more than 40% of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. | 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 | 1.023 billion 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 | 1.1 billion kWh (1999) | 32 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
54.55% hydro: 45.45% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 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 | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian | Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4% |
| Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) | 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 Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996) head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils |
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 | $214 million (f.o.b., 1997) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) | timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa |
| Exports - partners | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (1994) | 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 | the flag of France is used | 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 - $3.4 billion (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 42%
industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $4,800 (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3.8% (1998 est.) | -10% (2001 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 21 06 S, 55 36 E | 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:
2,724 km paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km note: 370 km of road are maintained by national authorities, 754 km by departmental authorities and 1600 km by local authorities (1994) |
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 |
| Imports | $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products | food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals |
| Imports - partners | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (1994) | Australia 29.7%, Singapore 21.9%, Fiji 4.7%, New Zealand 4.7% (2003) |
| Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 7 July 1978 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA |
| Industries | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction | fish (tuna), mining, timber |
| Infant mortality rate | 8.49 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) | NA% | 9% (2002 est.) |
| International organization participation | FZ, InOC, WFTU | 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 | 60 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel | Court of Appeal |
| Labor force | 261,000 (1995) | 26,840 (1999) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990) | agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
17% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 35% other: 41% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0.64%
permanent crops: 2% other: 97.36% (2001) |
| Languages | French (official), Creole widely used | 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 | French law | English common law, which is widely disregarded |
| Legislative branch | unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 12, PS 12, UDF 11, RPR 5, others 7; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 7, UDF 8, PS 6, RPR 4, various right-wing candidates 15, various left-wing candidates 5 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 14 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, PCR 2; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 3, PS 1, and RPR-UDF 1 |
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:
72.93 years male: 69.53 years female: 76.49 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: 79% male: 76% female: 80% (1982 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
| Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea |
| Map references | World | Oceania |
| Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM 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:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT ships by type: chemical tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
none |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
| Military branches | French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) | no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
190,846 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
97,497 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
6,243 (2001 est.) |
- |
| National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Independence Day, 7 July (1978) |
| Nationality | noun:
Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective: Reunionese |
noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander |
| Natural hazards | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano | typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity |
| Natural resources | fish, arable land, hydropower | fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD] | 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 | 732,570 (July 2001 est.) | 523,617 (July 2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
| Population growth rate | 1.57% (2001 est.) | 2.76% (2004 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Le Port, Pointe des Galets | Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | 173,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) | 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:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 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:
adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open wire and microwave radio relay network international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 236,500 (1997) | 6,600 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 85,000 (1999) | 1,000 (2002) |
| Television broadcast stations | 22 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (1997) | 0 (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast | mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls |
| Total fertility rate | 2.58 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 42.8% (1998) | NA |
| Waterways | none | - |
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