Compare Solomon Islands (2001) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

Compare Solomon Islands (2001) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

	Solomon Islands (2001)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)

Administrative divisions	7 provinces and 1 town; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western; note - there may be two new provinces of Choiseul (Lauru) and Rennell/Bellona and the administrative unit of Honiara may have been abolished	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 43.79% (male 107,229; female 103,162) 15-64 years: 53.15% (male 129,315; female 126,021) 65 years and over: 3.06% (male 7,190; female 7,525) (2001 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish	-
Airports	31 (2000 est.)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.)	-
Area	total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Maryland	land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	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. Current issues include government deficits, deforestation, and malaria control.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	34.05 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $147 million expenditures: $168 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)	-
Capital	Honiara	-
Climate	tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	5,313 km	698 km
Constitution	7 July 1978	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Currency	Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)	-
Death rate	4.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)	-
Debt - external	$152.4 million (1998)	-
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US	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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Jeremiah MANELE chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	none	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	$47 million (1999 est.), mainly from Japan, Australia, China, and NZ	-
Economy - overview	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 a continuing economic downslide. Deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation) by tankers have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of whom have left the country.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.
Electricity - consumption	27.9 million kWh (1999)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (1999)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (1999)	-
Electricity - production	30 million kWh (1999)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol	-
Ethnic groups	Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%	-
Exchange rates	Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 5.0968 (November 2000), 5.0864 (2000), 4.8381 (1999), 4.8156 (1998), 3.7169 (1997), 3.5664 (1996)	-
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Father John LAPLI (since NA 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE (since 1 July 2000); Assistant Prime Minister Nathaniel WAENA (since 1 July 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Allan KEMAKEZA (since 1 July 2000); note - Prime Minister Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU was forced to resign his position in June 2000 following the armed takeover of the capital by elements supporting the opposition parties; Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE, who had been opposition leader, was then elected prime minister at a sitting of National Parliament on 30 June 2000 cabinet: Cabinet 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	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	$165 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)	-
Exports - commodities	timber, fish, palm oil, cocoa, copra	-
Exports - partners	Japan 35.5%, other Asian countries 47.3% (1999)	-
Fiscal year	calendar year	-
Flag description	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	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP	purchasing power parity - $900 million (2000 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 50% industry: 3.5% services: 46.5% (1995)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2000 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	8 00 S, 159 00 E	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E
Geography - note	-	archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Highways	total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (includes about 800 km of private plantation roads) (1996 est.)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Imports	$152 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)	-
Imports - commodities	plant and equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuels, chemicals	-
Imports - partners	Australia 38.5%, Singapore 15%, Japan 10.6%, NZ 6.2% (1999)	-
Independence	7 July 1978 (from UK)	-
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	fish (tuna), mining, timber	-
Infant mortality rate	24.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	10% (1999 est.)	-
International organization participation	ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO	-
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	0 sq km
Judicial branch	Court of Appeal	-
Labor force	26,842	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 88% other: 9% (1993 est.)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Languages	Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population note: 120 indigenous languages	-
Legal system	English common law	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 August 1997 (next to be held by August 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - GNUR 21, PAP 7, NAPSI 5, SILP 4, UP 4, independents 6, other 3	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 71.55 years male: 69.12 years female: 74.1 years (2001 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%	-
Location	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Oceania	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	none (2000 est.)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	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%	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 7 July (1978)	-
Nationality	noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander	-
Natural hazards	typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity	NA
Natural resources	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	there are two main coalitions - Coalition for National Unity, Reconciliation, and Peace or CNURP and Alliance for Change; the CNURP took power on 30 June 2000, it comprises members of the Liberal Party, People's Alliance Party, and the United Party, as well as a number of independents; the Alliance for Change, represents the former government and now is the opposition; in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions; Group for National Unity and Reconciliation or GNUR [leader NA]; Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; National Action Party of Solomon Islands or NAPSI [Francis SAEMALA]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [George LEPPING]; People's Progressive Party [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; United Party or UP [leader NA]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	480,442 (July 2001 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	2.98% (2001 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	57,000 (1997)	-
Railways	0 km	-
Religions	Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)	-
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	8,000 (1997)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	658 (1997)	-
Television broadcast stations	0 (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls	flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	4.65 children born/woman (2001 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	NA%	-
Waterways	none	-

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