Solomon Islands Country Facts

 

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs                                      
October 2007                                                                  
                                                                       
  Background Note: Solomon Islands Country Facts                                             
                                         
  Men in traditional costume                                                  
  participate in welcoming ceremony,                                          
  Honiara, Solomon Islands, July 20,                                          
  2004. [© AP Images]                                                         
                                                                       
  Solomon Islands flag is divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from lower
  hoist-side corner; upper triangle is blue with 5 white 5-pointed stars      
  arranged in an X pattern; lower triangle is green.                          
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Solomon Islands                                                             
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: Land--27,556 sq. km. (11,599 sq. mi.). Archipelago--725,197 sq. km.   
  (280,000 sq. mi.).                                                          
  Cities: Capital--Honiara (on the island of Guadalcanal), pop. 54,600. Other 
  towns--Gizo, Auki, Kirakira.                                                
  Terrain: Mountainous islands.                                               
  Climate: Tropical monsoon.                                                  
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Nationality: Noun and adjective--Solomon Islander(s).                       
  Population (2006): 552,438.                                                 
  Annual growth rate: 2.8%.                                                   
  Ethnic groups (2002): Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, other
  1.5%.                                                                       
  Religions: Christian 95%--more than one-third Anglican (Archdiocese of      
  Melanesia), Roman Catholic 19%, South Sea Evangelical 17%, United Church    
  (Methodist) 11%, Seventh-day Adventist 10%.                                 
  Languages: English (official); about 120 vernaculars, including Solomon     
  Islands pidgin.                                                             
  Education (2003): Years compulsory--none. Attendance--79.6% primary school; 
  14% secondary school. Adult literacy--76.6%.                                
  Health (2003): Infant mortality rate--19/1,000. Life expectancy--62.3 yrs.  
  Work force (264,900, 2002): Agriculture--75%. Industry and commerce--5%.    
  Services--20%.                                                              
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth.                      
  Constitution: May 1978.                                                     
  Independence: July 7, 1978.                                                 
  Branches: Executive--British monarch represented by a governor general (head
  of state); prime minister (head of government). Legislative--50-member      
  Parliament elected every 4 years. Judicial--high court plus magistrates     
  court; system of custom land courts throughout islands.                     
  Subdivisions: Nine provinces and Honiara town.                              
  Political parties: Association of Independent Members (AIM), People's       
  Alliance Party (PAP), Socred, Rural Advancement Party (RAP), Lafari Party,  
  Christian Alliance Party, Democratic Party, National Party, Liberal Party,  
  Labour Party.                                                               
  Suffrage: Universal over 18.                                                
  National holiday: July 7.                                                   
                                                                       
  Economy                                                                     
  GDP (2005): $262 million.                                                   
  Annual growth rate (2005): 4.7%.                                            
  Per capita income (2005): $474.                                             
  Avg. inflation rate (2005): 7.4%.                                           
  Natural resources: Forests, fish, agricultural land, marine products, gold. 
  Agriculture: Products--copra, cocoa, palm oil, palm kernels and subsistence 
  crops of yams, taro, bananas, pineapple.                                    
  Industry: Types--fish canning, sawmilling, boats, rattan and wood furniture,
  fiberglass products, shell jewelry, tobacco, beer, clothing, soap, nails,   
  handicrafts.                                                                
  Trade (2004): Exports--$95.8 million: timber, fish, cocoa, copra, palm oil. 
  Major markets--China 28.2%, South Korea 15.7%, Thailand 15.7%, Japan 9.7%,  
  Philippines 5.1%, Vietnam 3.1%. Imports--$84 million: mineral fuels, food,  
  machinery & transport equipment, and basic manufactures. Major suppliers    
  --Australia 25.3%, Singapore 23.8%, New Zealand 5.3%, India 4.8%, Japan 3.9%.
  Exchange rate (2005 average): Solomon Islands $1=about U.S.$0.13.           
                                                                       
  GEOGRAPHY                                                                   
  The Solomon Islands form an archipelago in the Southwest Pacific about 1,900
  kilometers (1,200 mi.) northeast of Australia. With terrain ranging from    
  ruggedly mountainous islands to low-lying coral atolls, the Solomon Islands 
  stretch in a 1,450-kilometer (900 mi.) chain southeast from Papua New Guinea
  across the Coral Sea to Vanuatu.                                            
                                                                       
  The main islands of Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal,       
  Malaita, and Makira have rainforested mountain ranges of mainly volcanic    
  origin, deep narrow valleys, and coastal belts lined with coconut palms and 
  ringed by reefs. The smaller islands are atolls and raised coral reefs, often
  spectacularly beautiful. The Solomon Islands region is geologically active, 
  and earth tremors are frequent.                                             
                                                                       
  The islands' ocean-equatorial climate is extremely humid throughout the year,
  with a mean temperature of 27° C (80° F) and few extremes of temperature or 
  weather. June through August is the cooler period. Though seasons are not   
  pronounced, the northwesterly winds of November through April bring more    
  frequent rainfall and occasional squalls or cyclones. The annual rainfall is
  about 305 centimeters (120 in.).                                            
                                                                       
  More than 90% of the islands traditionally were forested, but this has come 
  under severe pressure from current logging operations. The coastal strips are
  sheltered by mangrove and coconut trees. Luxuriant rainforest covers the    
  interiors of the large islands. Soil quality ranges from extremely rich     
  volcanic to relatively infertile limestone. More than 230 varieties of      
  orchids and other tropical flowers brighten the landscape.                  
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  The Solomon Islanders comprise diverse cultures, languages, and customs.    
  Ninety-three percent are Melanesian, 4% Polynesian, and 1.5% Micronesian. In
  addition, small numbers of Europeans and Chinese are registered. About 120  
  vernacular languages are spoken.                                            
                                                                       
  Most people reside in small, widely dispersed settlements along the coasts. 
  Sixty percent live in localities with fewer than 200 persons, and only 17%  
  reside in urban areas.                                                      
                                                                       
  The capital city of Honiara, situated on Guadalcanal, the largest island, has
  54,600 inhabitants. The other principal towns are Gizo, Auki, and Kirakira. 
                                                                       
  Most Solomon Islanders are Christian, with the Anglican, Roman Catholic,    
  South Seas Evangelical, and Seventh-day Adventist faiths predominating. About
  5% of the population maintains traditional beliefs.                         
                                                                       
  The chief characteristics of the traditional Melanesian social structure are:
                                                                       
                                                                       
    * The practice of subsistence economy;                                    
                                                                       
    * The recognition of bonds of kinship, with important obligations extending
      beyond the immediate family group; local and clan loyalties far outweigh
      regional or national affiliations.                                      
                                                                       
    * Generally egalitarian relationships, emphasizing acquired rather than   
      inherited status; and                                                   
                                                                       
    * A strong attachment of the people to the land.                          
                                                                       
  Most Solomon Islanders maintain this traditional social structure and find  
  their roots in village life.                                                
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  Although little prehistory of the Solomon Islands is known, material        
  excavated on Santa Ana, Guadalcanal, and Gawa indicates that a              
  hunter-gatherer people lived on the larger islands as early as 1000 B.C. Some
  Solomon Islanders are descendants of Neolithic Austronesian-speaking peoples
  who migrated from Southeast Asia.                                           
                                                                       
  The European discoverer of the Solomons was the Spanish explorer Alvaro de  
  Mendana Y Neyra, who set out from Peru in 1567 to seek the legendary Isles of
  Solomon. British mariner Philip Carteret entered Solomon waters in 1767. In 
  the years that followed, visits by explorers were more frequent.            
                                                                       
  Missionaries began visiting the Solomons in the mid-1800s. They made little 
  progress at first, because "blackbirding"--the often brutal recruitment of  
  laborers for the sugar plantations in Queensland and Fiji--led to a series of
  reprisals and massacres. The evils of the labor trade prompted the United   
  Kingdom to declare a protectorate over the southern Solomons in 1893. In 1898
  and 1899, more outlying islands were added to the protectorate; in 1900 the 
  remainder of the archipelago, an area previously under German jurisdiction, 
  was transferred to British administration. Under the protectorate,          
  missionaries settled in the Solomons, converting most of the population to  
  Christianity.                                                               
                                                                       
  In the early 20th century, several British and Australian firms began       
  large-scale coconut planting. Economic growth was slow, however, and the    
  islanders benefited little. With the outbreak of World War II, most planters
  and traders were evacuated to Australia, and most cultivation ceased.       
                                                                       
  From May 1942, when the Battle of the Coral Sea was fought, until December  
  1943, the Solomons were almost constantly a scene of combat. Although U.S.  
  forces landed on Guadalcanal virtually unopposed in August 1942, they were  
  soon engaged in a bloody fight for control of the islands' airstrip, which  
  the U.S. forces named Henderson Field. One of the most furious sea battles  
  ever fought took place off Savo Island, near Guadalcanal, also in August    
  1942. Before the Japanese completely withdrew from Guadalcanal in February  
  1943, over 7,000 Americans and 21,000 Japanese died. By December 1943, the  
  Allies were in command of the entire Solomon chain. The large-scale American
  presence toward the end of the war, which dwarfed anything seen before in the
  islands, triggered various millennial movements and left a lasting legacy of
  friendship.                                                                 
                                                                       
  Postwar Developments                                                        
  Following the end of World War II, the British colonial government returned.
  The capital was moved from Tulagi to Honiara to take advantage of the       
  infrastructure left behind by the U.S. military. A native movement known as 
  the Marching Rule defied government authority. There was much disorder until
  some of the leaders were jailed in late 1948. Throughout the 1950s, other   
  indigenous dissident groups appeared and disappeared without gaining        
  strength.                                                                   
                                                                       
  In 1960, an advisory council of Solomon Islanders was superseded by a       
  legislative council, and an executive council was created as the            
  protectorate's policymaking body. The council was given progressively more  
  authority.                                                                  
                                                                       
  In 1974, a new constitution was adopted establishing a parliamentary        
  democracy and ministerial system of government. In mid-1975, the name Solomon
  Islands officially replaced that of British Solomon Islands Protectorate. On
  January 2, 1976, the Solomons became self-governing, and independence       
  followed on July 7, 1978.                                                   
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT                                                                  
  The Solomon Islands is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth,   
  with a unicameral Parliament and a ministerial system of government. The    
  British monarch is represented by a governor general, chosen by the         
  Parliament for a 5-year term. The national Parliament has 50 members, elected
  for 4-year terms. However, Parliament may be dissolved by majority vote of  
  its members before the completion of its term. Parliamentary representation 
  is based on single-member constituencies. Suffrage is universal for citizens
  over age 18. The prime minister, elected by Parliament, chooses the other   
  members of the cabinet. Each ministry is headed by a cabinet member, who is 
  assisted by a permanent secretary, a career public servant, who directs the 
  staff of the ministry.                                                      
                                                                       
  For local government, the country is divided into 10 administrative areas, of
  which nine are provinces administered by elected provincial assemblies, and 
  the 10th is the town of Honiara, administered by the Honiara Town Council.  
                                                                       
  Land ownership is reserved for Solomon Islanders. At the time of            
  independence, citizenship was granted to all persons whose parents are or   
  were both British protected persons and members of a group, tribe, or line  
  indigenous to the Solomon Islands. The law provides that resident           
  expatriates, such as the Chinese and Kiribati, may obtain citizenship through
  naturalization. Land generally is still held on a family or village basis and
  may be handed down from mother or father according to local custom. The     
  islanders are reluctant to provide land for nontraditional economic         
  undertakings, and this has resulted in continual disputes over land         
  ownership.                                                                  
                                                                       
  No military forces are maintained by the Solomon Islands, although the police
  force of nearly 500 includes a border protection element. The police also   
  have responsibility for fire service, disaster relief, and maritime         
  surveillance. The police force is headed by a commissioner, appointed by the
  Governor General and responsible to the prime minister. A new acting        
  commissioner, Walter Kola (a Solomon Islands citizen), was appointed in March
  2007. The Solomon Islands Government declared the prior commissioner, Shane 
  Castles (an Australian citizen), an undesirable immigrant in December 2006. 
                                                                       
  POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                                        
  Solomon Islands governments are characterized by weak political parties and 
  highly unstable parliamentary coalitions. They are subject to frequent votes
  of no confidence, and government leadership changes frequently as a result. 
  Cabinet changes are common.                                                 
                                                                       
  The first post-independence government was elected in August 1980. Prime    
  Minister Peter Kenilorea was head of government until September 1981, when he
  was succeeded by Solomon Mamaloni as the result of a realignment within the 
  parliamentary coalitions. Following the November 1984 elections, Kenilorea  
  was again elected Prime Minister, to be replaced in 1986 by his former deputy
  Ezekiel Alebua following shifts within the parliamentary coalitions. The next
  election, held in early 1989, returned Solomon Mamaloni as Prime Minister.  
  Francis Billy Hilly was elected Prime Minister following the national       
  elections in June 1993, and headed the government until November 1994 when a
  shift in parliamentary loyalties brought Solomon Mamaloni back to power.    
                                                                       
  The national election of August 6, 1997 resulted in Bartholomew Ulufa'alu's 
  election as Prime Minister, heading a coalition government, which christened
  itself the Solomon Islands Alliance for Change.                             
                                                                       
  However, governance was slipping as the performance of the police and other 
  government agencies deteriorated due to ethnic rivalries. The capital of    
  Honiara on Guadalcanal was increasingly populated by migrants from the island
  of Malaita. In June 2000, an insurrection mounted by militants from the     
  island of Malaita resulted in the brief detention of Ulufa'alu and his      
  subsequent forced resignation. Manasseh Sogavare, leader of the People's    
  Progressive Party, was chosen Prime Minister by a loose coalition of parties.
  Guadalcanal militants retaliated and sought to drive Malaitan settlers from 
  Guadalcanal, resulting in the closure of a large oil-palm estate and gold   
  mine which were vital to exports but whose workforce was largely Malaitan.  
                                                                       
  New elections in December 2001 brought Sir Allan Kemakeza into the Prime    
  Minister's chair with the support of a coalition of parties.                
                                                                       
  Kemakeza attempted to address the deteriorating law and order situation in  
  the country, but the prevailing atmosphere of lawlessness, widespread       
  extortion, and ineffective police, prompted a formal request by the Solomon 
  Islands Government for outside help. With the country bankrupt and the      
  capital in chaos, the request was unanimously supported in Parliament. In   
  July 2003, Australian and Pacific Island police and troops arrived in the   
  Solomon Islands under the auspices of the Australian-led Regional Assistance
  Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).                                         
                                                                       
  RAMSI is largely a policing effort with an important development component. 
  It has restored order to virtually all parts of the nation and is now       
  embarked on rebuilding government institutions, particularly the police, and
  reviving the economy, which fell by at least a third during the troubles. The
  effort promises to take many years and Solomon Islands will continue to     
  require substantial donor support. Moreover, as militants, former police, and
  political leaders are brought to trial for their crimes during the unrest,  
  some local resentment is likely to cut somewhat into the now-widespread     
  support for the intervention.                                               
                                                                       
  The peace has proven to be fragile. Fierce rioting occurred soon after the  
  April 2006 general election and the election of Snyder Rini as Prime Minister
  in mid-April. Most of the violence was directed against businesses owned by 
  ethnic Chinese in Honiara, with the almost complete destruction of the      
  Chinatown commercial district. Mr. Rini resigned shortly after the riots, and
  a parliamentary vote saw Manasseh Sogavare elected as the new Prime Minister
  in May 2006.                                                                
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  Governor General--Sir Nathaniel Waena                                       
  Prime Minister--Manasseh Sogavare                                           
  Minister for Foreign Affairs--Patterson Oti                                 
                                                                       
  The Solomon Islands mission to the United Nations is located at 800 Second  
  Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 (tel: 212-599-6192/93; fax:          
  212-661-8925).                                                              
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  Its per capita GDP of $474 ranks Solomon Islands as a lesser developed      
  nation, and more than 75% of its labor force is engaged in subsistence      
  farming and fishing. Until 1998, when world prices for tropical timber fell 
  steeply, timber was Solomon Islands main export product, and, in recent     
  years, Solomon Islands forests were dangerously overexploited. Other        
  important cash crops and exports include copra and palm oil. In 1998 Ross   
  Mining of Australia began producing gold at Gold Ridge on Guadalcanal.      
  Minerals exploration in other areas continued. However in the wake of the   
  ethnic violence in June 2000, exports of palm oil and gold ceased while     
  exports of timber fell. Exports are just now beginning to recover.          
                                                                       
  Exploitation of Solomon Islands' rich fisheries offers the best prospect for
  further export and domestic economic expansion. However, a Japanese joint   
  venture, Solomon Taiyo Ltd., which operated the only fish cannery in the    
  country, closed in mid-2000 as a result of the ethnic disturbances. Though  
  the plant has reopened under local management, the export of tuna has not   
  resumed. Negotiations are underway which may lead to the eventual reopening 
  of the Gold Ridge mine and the major oil-palm plantation.                   
                                                                       
  Tourism, particularly diving, is an important service industry for Solomon  
  Islands. Growth in that industry is hampered, however, by political         
  instability, security issues, lack of infrastructure, and transportation    
  limitations.                                                                
                                                                       
  Solomon Islands was particularly hard hit by the Asian economic crisis even 
  before the ethnic violence of June 2000. The Asian Development Bank estimates
  that the crash of the market for tropical timber reduced Solomon Island's GDP
  by between 15%-25%. About one-half of all jobs in the timber industry were  
  lost. The government has said it will reform timber harvesting policies with
  the aim of resuming logging on a more sustainable basis.                    
                                                                       
  The Solomon Islands Government was insolvent by 2002. Since the RAMSI       
  intervention in 2003, the government has recast its budget, and has taken a 
  hard look at priorities. It has consolidated and renegotiated its domestic  
  debt and with Australian backing, is now seeking to renegotiate its foreign 
  obligations. Much work remains to be done. Ongoing political instability    
  continues to negatively impact economic development.                        
                                                                       
  Principal aid donors are Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, Japan, 
  and the Republic of China.                                                  
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  Countries with diplomatic missions in the Solomon Islands are Australia,    
  United Kingdom, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Japan. The Solomon Islands
  also has diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, which has a       
  resident representative in Honiara.                                         
                                                                       
  The U.S. Ambassador resident in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea is accredited
  to the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands' Permanent Representative to the
  United Nations also is accredited as its ambassador to the United States and
  Canada.                                                                     
                                                                       
  Relations with Papua New Guinea, which had become strained because of an    
  influx of refugees from the Bougainville rebellion and attacks on the       
  northern islands of the Solomon Islands by elements pursuing Bougainvillean 
  rebels, have been repaired. A peace accord on Bougainville confirmed in 1998
  has removed the armed threat, and the two nations regularized border        
  operations in a 2004 agreement.                                             
                                                                       
  Relations with Australia, which plays a major role in the RAMSI mission, have
  been strained. The Solomon Islands Government declared the former Australian
  High Commissioner persona non grata, and delayed the credentialing of his   
  replacement for several weeks.                                              
                                                                       
  Membership in International Organizations                                   
  Solomon Islands is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, Pacific
  Community, Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG),   
  International Monetary Fund, and the European Economic Community/African,   
  Caribbean, Pacific Group (EEC/ACP)/(Lome Convention).                       
                                                                       
  U.S.-SOLOMON ISLANDS RELATIONS                                              
  The United States and Solomon Islands established diplomatic relations      
  following its independence on July 7, 1978. U.S. representation is handled by
  the United States Embassy at Port Moresby where the Ambassador is resident. 
  In recognition of the close ties forged between the United States and the   
  people of the Solomon Islands during World War II, the U.S. Congress financed
  the construction of the Solomon Islands Parliament building. There are      
  approximately 95 American citizens residing permanently in Solomon Islands. 
                                                                       
  The two nations belong to a variety of regional organizations, including the
  Pacific Community and the Pacific Regional Environmental Program. The United
  States and Solomon Islands also cooperate under the U.S.-Pacific Islands    
  multilateral Tuna Fisheries Treaty, under which the U.S. grants $18 million 
  per year to Pacific island parties and the latter provide access to U.S.    
  fishing vessels.                                                            
                                                                       
  The U.S. coast guard provides training to Solomon Islands border protection 
  officers, and the U.S. military also provides appropriate military education
  and training courses to national security officials.                        
                                                                       
  The U.S. Peace Corps suspended its program in June 2000 due to the ethnic   
  violence and breakdown in governance. More than 70 volunteers, serving      
  throughout the country in rural community development, education,           
  environmental management, and youth programs, were evacuated.               
                                                                       
  U.S. trade with Solomon Islands is very limited. In 2001 U.S. exports to    
  Solomon Islands were less than 5% of all exports, while Solomon Islands     
  exports to the United States in that year were negligible.                  
                                                                       
  Following the April 2, 2007 earthquake and tsunami, the United States       
  provided $250,000 in humanitarian assistance grants and deployed the USNS   
  Stockham with helicopter support to the affected area.                      
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Embassy Officials                                            
  Ambassador--Leslie Rowe (resident in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea)        
  Consular Agent--Ms. Keithie Saunders (office phone 677 24123/23426 or mobile
  677 94731)                                                                  
                                                                       
  American Embassy Port Moresby is located on Douglas Street, Port Moresby,   
  Papua New Guinea, P.O. Box 1492, Port Moresby (tel: (675) 321-1455; fax:    
  (675) 321-3423). The Embassy maintains a web site dedicated to Solomon      
  Islands at http://www.usvpp-solomonislands.org/                             
                                                                       
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