Compare Turks and Caicos Islands (2002) - Solomon Islands (2007)

Compare Turks and Caicos Islands (2002) z Solomon Islands (2007)

	Turks and Caicos Islands (2002)	Solomon Islands (2007)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	9 provinces and 1 capital territory; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure	0-14 years: 32.6% (male 3,101; female 3,004) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 6,266; female 5,651) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 319; female 397) (2002 est.)	0-14 years: 40.7% (male 117,739/female 113,125) 15-64 years: 55.9% (male 160,310/female 156,773) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 9,036/female 9,859) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish	cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish
Airports	8 (2001)	35 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002)	total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2007)
Area	total: 430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands are presently a British overseas territory.	The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago. 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, then 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 generally been effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.
Birth rate	24.18 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	29.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997-98 est.)	revenues: $49.7 million expenditures: $75.1 million (2003)
Capital	Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)	name: Honiara geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry	tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Coastline	389 km	5,313 km
Constitution	introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988	7 July 1978
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands local long form: none local short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands
Currency	US dollar (USD)	-
Death rate	4.38 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$166 million (2004)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	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)	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	since 2003, Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security
Economic aid - recipient	$4.1 million (1997) (1997)	$198.2 million annually, mainly from Australia (2005 est.)
Economy - overview	The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the 93,000 visitors in 1998. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts.	The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of its 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's efforts to restore law and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as the economy rebuilds.
Electricity - consumption	4.65 million kWh (2000)	55.8 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2000)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2000)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	5 million kWh (2000)	60 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater	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	black	Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Derek H. TAYLOR (since 31 January 1995) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor	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 Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 4 May 2006); note - Prime Minister Snyder RINI, elected on 18 April 2006 and sworn in on 20 April 2006, resigned on 26 April prior to no confidence vote in parliament; SOGAVARE elected on 4 May 2006 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 (eligible for a second term); 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	$13.7 million (1999)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells	timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners	US, UK	China 48%, South Korea 9.5%, Japan 8.9%, Thailand 4.7%, Italy 4.4%, Philippines 4.2% (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus	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 - $128 million (1999 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 - $7,300 (1999 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	8.7% (1999 est.)	4.4% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	21 45 N, 71 35 W	8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note	about 40 islands (eight inhabited)	strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; on 2 April 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred 345 km WNW of the capital Honiara, the resulting tsunami devastated coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was especially hard hit
Government - note	-	by 2006, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - originally made up of troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga - had been scaled back to 259 police officers and 20 military, in addition to civilian technical advisers; in response to rioting that broke out in mid-April 2006, Australia dispatched an additional 220 troops and 70 police officers to help restore order
Heliports	-	3 (2007)
Highways	total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000)	-
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 narcotics destined for the US and Europe	-
Imports	$175.6 million (1999)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials	food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners	US, UK	Australia 25.5%, Singapore 23.5%, Japan 7.8%, NZ 5.1%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2006)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	7 July 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	tourism, offshore financial services	fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate	17.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	total: 19.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	4% (1995) (1995)	6.6% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau)	ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	14 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA
Judicial branch	Supreme Court	Court of Appeal
Labor force	4,848 (1990 est.)	249,200 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation	about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services (1997 est.)	agriculture: 75% industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (1998 est.)	arable land: 0.62% permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005)
Languages	English (official)	Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages
Legal system	based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas	English common law, which is widely disregarded
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats, of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 4 March 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 52.2%, PNP 40.9%, independent 6.9%; seats by party - PDM 9, PNP 4	unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, PAP 6.3%, SIPRA 6.3%, Liberal 5%, Democratic 4.9%, SOCRED 4.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 73.76 years male: 71.59 years female: 76.03 years (2002 est.)	total population: 73.16 years male: 70.64 years female: 75.81 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.)	definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Location	Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Oceania
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing 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	none (2002 est.)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
Military branches	-	no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	3% (2006)
National holiday	Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)	Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Nationality	noun: none adjective: none	noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander
Natural hazards	frequent hurricanes	typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis
Natural resources	spiny lobster, conch	fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Net migration rate	12.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
People - note	destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US	-
Political parties and leaders	People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Washington MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN]	Association of Independent Members or AIM [Thomas CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA]; LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party [Francis HILLY]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA]; Social Credit Party or SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon First Party [David QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel SURI]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon Islands Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter KENILOREA] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003
Population	18,738 (July 2002 est.)	566,842 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	3.28% (2002 est.)	2.54% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Grand Turk, Providenciales	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3 (one inactive), FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004)
Radios	8,000 (1997)	-
Railways	0 km	-
Religions	Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)	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)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2002 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.023 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.917 male(s)/female total population: 1.026 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: fair cable and radiotelephone services domestic: NA international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	3,000 (1994)	7,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	0 (1994)	6,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; cable television is established) (1997)	-
Terrain	low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps	mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate	3.18 children born/woman (2002 est.)	3.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	10% (1997 est.)	NA%
Waterways	none	-

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.