Compare Solomon Islands (2004) - Trinidad and Tobago (2003)

Compare Solomon Islands (2004) z Trinidad and Tobago (2003)

	Solomon Islands (2004)	Trinidad and Tobago (2003)

Administrative divisions	9 provinces and 1 capital territory; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western	8 counties, 3 municipalities, and 1 ward*; Arima, Caroni, Mayaro, Nariva, Port-of-Spain, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick, San Fernando, Tobago*, Victoria
Age structure	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.)	0-14 years: 22.2% (male 125,470; female 119,270) 15-64 years: 70% (male 402,137; female 370,600) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 38,928; female 47,804) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish	cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Airports	33 (2003 est.)	6 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
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.)	total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Area	total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km	total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Maryland	slightly smaller than Delaware
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. 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.	The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean, thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.
Birth rate	31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	12.74 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $38 million expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001)	revenues: $1.54 billion expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (1998)
Capital	Honiara	Port-of-Spain
Climate	tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather	tropical; rainy season (June to December)
Coastline	5,313 km	362 km
Constitution	7 July 1978	1 August 1976
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands	conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago
Currency	Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)	Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)
Death rate	4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	8.71 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$162.5 million (2001 est.)	$2.8 billion (2002 est.)
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, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS, is accredited to the Solomon Islands	chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6372 through 6376, 622-6176 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462
Diplomatic representation in the US	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	chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE (as of February 2003) chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
Disputes - international	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	none
Economic aid - recipient	$28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2001 est.)	$24 million (1999 est.)
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 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.	Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. A leading performer the past four years has been the booming natural gas sector. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a trade surplus. The year 2002 was marked by solid growth in the oil sector, offset in part by domestic political uncertainty.
Electricity - consumption	29.76 million kWh (2001)	4.943 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	32 million kWh (2001)	5.315 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying	water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
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	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%	black 39.5%, East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2%
Exchange rates	Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999)	Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.24 (2002), 6.23 (2001), 6.3 (2000), 6.3 (1999), 6.3 (1998)
Executive branch	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	chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term; election last held 14 February 2003 (next to be held NA 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43%
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa	petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers
Exports - partners	China 25.2%, South Korea 17.6%, Japan 13.4%, Philippines 8.4%, Singapore 5.9%, Thailand 5.9% (2003)	US 56.9%, Jamaica 7.3%, France 4.4% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 October - 30 September
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	red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side
GDP	purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $11.07 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 1.6% industry: 43.2% services: 55.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-10% (2001 est.)	3.2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	8 00 S, 159 00 E	11 00 N, 61 00 W
Geography - note	strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea	Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
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: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)	total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 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 South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals	machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals
Imports - partners	Australia 29.7%, Singapore 21.9%, Fiji 4.7%, New Zealand 4.7% (2003)	US 42%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.5%, UK 5%, Japan 4.5%, Brazil 4.3% (2002)
Independence	7 July 1978 (from UK)	31 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA	2.6% (2002 est.)
Industries	fish (tuna), mining, timber	petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles
Infant mortality rate	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.)	total: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	9% (2002 est.)	4.3% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	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	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	17 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	30 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Court of Appeal	Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Court of Appeals the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
Labor force	26,840 (1999)	564,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)	construction and utilities 12.4%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, agriculture 9.5%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0.64% permanent crops: 2% other: 97.36% (2001)	arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (1998 est.)
Languages	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	English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese
Legal system	English common law, which is widely disregarded	based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	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	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; members appointed by the president for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly, with 15 members serving four-year terms
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 72.38 years male: 69.9 years female: 74.98 years (2004 est.)	total population: 69.59 years male: 67.07 years female: 72.23 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.)
Location	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea	Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references	Oceania	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	none	total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,032 GRT/5,106 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 1 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: US 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches	no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)	Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (including Ground Force, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	$90 million (1999)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	1.4% (1999)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 327,823 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 233,488 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 7 July (1978)	Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Nationality	noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander	noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Natural hazards	typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity	outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Natural resources	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel	petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	-10.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	-	condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	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	National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Hochoy CHARLES]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [leader NA]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TUN [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	Jamaat-al Musilmeen [Yasin BAKR]
Population	523,617 (July 2004 est.)	1,104,209 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	21% (1992 est.)
Population growth rate	2.76% (2004 est.)	-0.68% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina	Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough, Tembladora
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 2, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	-	minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; common carrier railway service was discontinued in 1968 (2001)
Religions	Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%	Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7%
Sex ratio	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.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use	6,600 (2002)	252,000 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1,000 (2002)	17,411 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	0 (1997)	4 (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls	mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)	1.78 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA	10.8% (2002)
Waterways	-	none

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