Solomon Islands

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   Solomon Islands at a glance Did you know? There are butterflies with 25 centimetre wingspans living in the Solomon Islands. Region Pacific Population 581,318 (2008 estimate) Land Geography:  Hundreds of islands, rugged mountains, volcanic and coral atolls Climate:  Equatorial and tropical monsoonal People Religion: Christian Language: English (Official), Melanesian Pidgin, plus 120 indigenous languages Economy GDP per person (PPP): $1900 GDP by sector: Agriculture: 42%, Industry: 11%, Services: 47% Government Parliamentary democracy Land Physical geography The Solomon Islands archipelago consists of 922 islands with a total land area of 128,446 square kilometres, located to the east of Papua New Guinea. The six main islands are Guadalcanal, Malaita, New Georgia, Makira, Santa Isabel and Choiseul. The larger islands are volcanic, densely forested mountain ranges with steep, narrow river valleys and thin coastal plains with mangrove and coconut palms. Makarakomburu, on Guadalcanal Island, is the highest point at 2,293metres. Little of the land is suitable for crops. Coral reefs provide plentiful fishing resources. The outer islands are small, coral atolls. Climate Spread out along the equator, the Solomon Islands experience a tropical monsoonal climate all year round. The mean temperature is 27°C and humidity ranges between 60% and 90%. Annual rainfall is high, ranging from 2000 millimetres to 3000 millimetres. Most rain falls between November and April. Cyclones occur regularly during the summer months. Environment The Solomon Islands have over 4500 plant species, including about 230 varieties of orchids. Animals include opossums, bats and mice and there are more than 150 species of birds with many species of parrot and incubator bird. Forest covers about 90% of the land, with dense tropical rainforest occurring on most islands. Parts of the coast are swampy, supporting extensive mangrove forests. Inadequate controls on forestry mean that soil erosion is a major problem. Many surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying. People The Solomon Islanders live in small villages scattered over 347 of its 922 islands. About 17% live in urban areas the major ones are: Honiara, the capital city, situated on Guadalcanal (57,400 people); Gizo (6,300) in the New Georgia Islands, Auki (4,400) on Malaita, Buala (2,700) on Santa Isabel, Tulagi (1,500) on Nggela Sule, Kirakira (1,100) on Makira. People Culture and ethnicity The population of Solomon Islands is predominantly Melanesian (about 95%) although there are smaller Polynesian, Micronesian, Chinese and European communities. The social structure is extremely diverse and complex and varies from island to island. Different customs - codes of behaviour, systems of land tenure, leadership rules, blends of traditional and world religions, marriage rules and so on - exist throughout the nation. Most communities recognise strong kinship links and obligations with the broad language group. Carvings can be found throughout the islands, and can range from ornate ritual bowls to miniature canoe souvenirs. Music is played throughout the Solomon Islands using bamboo pipes in a variety of forms, played either in sets or singly, as wind instruments or hitting lengths of bamboo with a rubber thong to produce a range of sounds. The five five-pointed stars on the flag on the background of blue represent the nation’s five administrative units, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. The yellow stripe represents the sunshine and the green the land and forests. Health Delivery of health care is difficult given the dispersed nature of the population. Life expectancy is 63 years and many babies die before their first birthday (24 per 1,000 live births). The leading causes of death in children under the age of five years include acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, malaria, peri-natal complications and injuries. Access to safe water is 70% while sanitation is only 30%. There are low levels of HIV/AIDS but risk factors are high. Religion and beliefs All major Christian denominations are represented in the community - Anglican 45%, Protestant Christians 33%, Roman Catholic 18%, but in many cases these beliefs are held alongside traditional beliefs. Dances, songs and stories about war, hunting, the natural world or the harvesting of crops from the ‘time before’ are part of everyday life. A common belief is that a dead person's spirit lives on for a time in sharks, birds or reptiles. This means these animals may become sacred for a time and tabu, forbidden to eat. These animals are treated with reverence and called upon in difficult times. Food and shelter Fresh seafood, chicken, green vegetables and tubers cooked in coconut milk or baked in the ground form the basis of most meals. Bush-materials, such as thatched coconut leaves and woven bamboo, are used for housing in the villages. Electricity is generated using imported fuel and is only generally available in five urban centres. Economy Wealth and poverty The country relies heavily on foreign aid. The majority of the population is involved in subsistence agriculture with less than a quarter of the population involved in any paid work.                                                                        Education and work Only about 63% of children attend primary school and the adult literacy rate is 76.6%. Limited provision of schools and teachers and poverty means that many children miss out on school education through non-enrolment or dropping out because of the cost of school fees. Most people in the villages are involved in food production - farming or fishing. In the towns most people are involved in the provision of services (20%) and a small number of people are involved in industry (5%).                                                                         Industries and products Main crops are copra, cocoa, palm oil, rice, fruits, vegetables, spices and tobacco. There is some processing of fish (tuna), mining and timber production. Tourism is limited by lack of facilities, but some visitors are attracted by diving opportunities.                                                                      Trade In 2007 Solomon Islands exported timber, fish, copra, palm oil and cocoa, worth $237 million to China 50.8%, South Korea 7%, Thailand 6.5%, Japan 5.7% and Philippines 4.3%. It imported food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals worth $256 million from Singapore 28.2%, Australia 25.4%, Japan 4.6%, NZ 4.5% and Fiji 4%. Achievements and challenges Cyclones and earth tremors occur regularly. In 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale resulted in a tsunami devastating coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces. Growing population pressures and migration to urban areas continue to place pressure on infrastructure and increase the demand for water, sanitation, housing, education and health services. The country also has one of the highest malaria rates in the world. Ethnic violence between people of Guadalcanal and people of Malaita living in Honiara severely disrupted civil society and the economy from the mid 1990s. Since 2003 the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), a partnership of 15 countries, has provided a comprehensive package restoring law and order, rebuilding government institutions and fostering stronger, broad-based economic growth. Links with Australia Australia has a deep and longstanding relationship with Solomon Islands. In the 1860s large numbers of Solomon Islanders were recruited, sometimes by force, to work on sugar plantations in Queensland. Australians were involved in the fierce fighting of the Second World War. In the post-war period, people and business links with Solomon Islands have grown steadily and there are now estimated to be around 700 Australians resident in Solomon Islands, mainly in Honiara, many engaged in small businesses and in missionary work. Australia has been heavily involved in working to promote stability and growth in Solomon Islands through the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Australia provides significant levels of development assistance to the country. Its bilateral aid program complements RAMSI and is focused on improving service delivery across health, agriculture, education and within the Solomon Islands Government. Main Sources: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/index.html

Children keeping cool in the shade of the verandah of a village house.   Market day is always a hive of activity