: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east
of Papua New Guinea

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 159 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 28,450 sq km

land: 27,540 sq km

water: 910 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 5,313 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

continental shelf: 200 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead,
zinc, nickel

Land use: arable land: 1%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 1%

forests and woodland: 88%

other: 9% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: typhoons, but they are rarely destructive;
geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic
activity

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; much 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

Solomon Islands People

Population: 480,442 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.79% (male 107,229; female 103,162)

15-64 years: 53.15% (male 129,315; female 126,021)

65 years and over: 3.06% (male 7,190; female 7,525) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.98% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 34.05 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.55 years

male: 69.12 years

female: 74.1 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.65 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate