Compare Solomon Islands (2005) - United Arab Emirates (2007)

Compare Solomon Islands (2005) z United Arab Emirates (2007)

	Solomon Islands (2005)	United Arab Emirates (2007)

Administrative divisions	9 provinces and 1 capital territory; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western	7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)
Age structure	0-14 years: 41.9% (male 114,860/female 110,404) 15-64 years: 54.9% (male 149,400/female 145,970) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,371/female 9,027) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 20.6% (male 467,931/female 447,045) 15-64 years: 78.5% (male 2,558,029/female 932,617) 65 years and over: 0.9% (male 24,914/female 13,475) note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish	dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Airports	33 (2004 est.)	39 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 22 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)
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: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Area	total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km	total: 83,600 sq km land: 83,600 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Maryland	slightly smaller than Maine
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 Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.
Birth rate	30.74 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	16.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $49.7 million expenditures: $75.1 million, including capital expenditures of $0 (2003)	revenues: $54.64 billion expenditures: $34.91 billion (2006 est.)
Capital	Honiara	name: Abu Dhabi geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather	desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Coastline	5,313 km	1,318 km
Constitution	7 July 1978	2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands	conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE
Death rate	3.98 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	2.16 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$180.4 million (2002)	$38.31 billion (2006 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 is accredited to the Solomon Islands	chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200 FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603 consulate(s) general: Dubai
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 Saqr Ghobash Said GHOBASH chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400 FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432 consulate(s): New York, Houston
Disputes - international	Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security	boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies
Economic aid - donor	-	since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004)
Economic aid - recipient	$28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2003 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. Prior to the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI has enabled a return to law and order, a new period of economic stability, and modest growth as the economy rebuilds.	The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification, about 30% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output, and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005-06 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and degrading the UAE's allure to foreign investors. Dependence on a large expatriate workforce and oil are significant long-term challenges to the UAE's economy.
Electricity - consumption	29.76 million kWh (2002)	52.62 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	32 million kWh (2002)	57.06 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying	lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
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, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)	Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Exchange rates	Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000)	Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002) note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002
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 KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006) head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held in 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously affirmed vice president after the 2006 death of his brother Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid al-Maktum
Exports	NA	2.54 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities	timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa	crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports - partners	China 27.8%, South Korea 17.1%, Thailand 15.7%, Japan 9.7%, Philippines 4.8% (2004)	Japan 25.8%, South Korea 9.6%, Thailand 5.9%, India 4.5% (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar 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	three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 2% industry: 62.7% services: 35.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	5.8% (2003 est.)	8.9% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates	8 00 S, 159 00 E	24 00 N, 54 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea	strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
Government - note	June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allan 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. By the end of 2004 the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) had been scaled back to 302 police officers and 120 military in addition to civilian technical advisors.	-
Heliports	-	5 (2007)
Highways	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	-	the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug-producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal banking remains unregulated
Imports	NA	137,200 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals	machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners	Australia 24.6%, Singapore 23.1%, New Zealand 7.7%, Fiji 4.8%, Papua New Guinea 4.7% (2004)	US 11.5%, China 11%, India 9.9%, Germany 6.2%, Japan 5.8%, UK 5.6%, France 4.1%, Italy 4% (2006)
Independence	7 July 1978 (from UK)	2 December 1971 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA	4% (2000)
Industries	fish (tuna), mining, timber	petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles
Infant mortality rate	total: 21.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 13.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	10% (2003 est.)	13.5% (2006 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	ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	760 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Court of Appeal	Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force	26,840 (1999)	2.968 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 7% industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Land use	arable land: 0.64% permanent crops: 2% other: 97.36% (2001)	arable land: 0.77% permanent crops: 2.27% other: 96.96% (2005)
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	Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Legal system	English common law, which is widely disregarded	based on a dual system of Shari'a and civil courts; 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	unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states, 20 members elected to serve two-year terms) elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral college - a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed by the rulers of the seven emirates - were the only eligible voters and candidates; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for 20 contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a seat note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 72.66 years male: 70.16 years female: 75.28 years (2005 est.)	total population: 75.69 years male: 73.16 years female: 78.35 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 77.9% male: 76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
Location	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea	Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Map references	Oceania	Middle East
Maritime claims	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine	-	total: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 617,519 GRT/858,519 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 11 (Greece 3, Kuwait 8) registered in other countries: 281 (Bahamas 20, Belize 4, Cambodia 2, Comoros 5, Cyprus 10, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 2, Hong Kong 1, India 2, Iran 1, Jordan 15, North Korea 4, Liberia 22, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 14, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 108, Philippines 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 7, Singapore 8, Somalia 1, St Kitts and Nevis 22, St Vincent and The Grenadines 12, Turkey 1, unknown 5) (2007)
Military branches	no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)	Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	3.1% (2005 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 7 July (1978)	Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Nationality	noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander	noun: Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati
Natural hazards	typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity	frequent sand and dust storms
Natural resources	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel	petroleum, natural gas
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	26.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	-	condensate 520 km; gas 2,580 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2006)
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	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	538,032 (July 2005 est.)	4,444,011 note: estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that included a significantly higher estimate of net inmigration of non-citizens than previous estimates (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	19.5% (2003)
Population growth rate	2.68% (2005 est.)	3.997% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Honiara, Malloco Bay, Shortland Harbor, Viru Harbor, Yandina	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004)	AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)
Religions	Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census)	Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%
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 (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.047 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.743 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.849 male(s)/female total population: 2.19 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	none
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Telephones - main lines in use	6,600 (2002)	1.31 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1,000 (2002)	5.519 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations	-	15 (2004)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls	flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Total fertility rate	4.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)	2.43 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	2.4% (2001)

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