Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) - Solomon Islands (2003)

Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) z Solomon Islands (2003)

	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)	Solomon Islands (2003)

Administrative divisions	-	9 provinces and 1 capital territory; Central, Choiseul (Lauru), Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell/Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 42.9% (male 111,333; female 107,062) 15-64 years: 54% (male 139,072; female 135,721) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,754; female 8,248) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Airports	-	32 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area	total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of 11 islands	total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Rhode Island	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.	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.
Birth rate	-	32.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $38 million expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Capital	-	Honiara
Climate	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow	tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Coastline	NA km	5,313 km
Constitution	-	7 July 1978
Country name	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands
Currency	-	Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Death rate	-	4.12 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	-	$137 million (2001 est.)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	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
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Colin BECK chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925
Disputes - international	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$28 million mainly from Japan, Australia, China, and NZ (2001 est.)
Economy - overview	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.	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.
Electricity - consumption	-	29.76 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	-	32 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 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, 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 - NA (2002), NA (2001), 5.09 (2000), 4.84 (1999), 4.82 (1998)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir John LAPLI (since NA 1999) 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	-	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	-	timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners	-	Japan 21.2%, China 18.8%, South Korea 16.3%, Philippines 8.9%, Thailand 7.6%, Singapore 4.1% (2002)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)	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 - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	-10% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	54 30 S, 37 00 W	8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia	strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
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%
Imports	-	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	-	food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners	-	Australia 31.3%, Singapore 19.7%, New Zealand 5.1%, Fiji 4.6%, Papua New Guinea 4.5% (2002)
Independence	-	7 July 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 22.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	1.8% (2001 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, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	0 sq km	NA sq km
Judicial branch	-	Court of Appeal
Labor force	-	26,842
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)	arable land: 1.5% permanent crops: 0.64% other: 97.86% (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
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court	English common law, which is widely disregarded
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
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 72.1 years male: 69.64 years female: 74.68 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references	Antarctic Region	Oceania
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	-	none (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
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	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism	typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Natural resources	fish	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited	509,190 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	2.83% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Radio broadcast stations	0 (2003)	AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	-	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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	-	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	658 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	0 (2003)	0 (1997)
Terrain	most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes	mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate	-	4.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	NA%
Waterways	-	none

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