must be
imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such
as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. The Government of the Solomon Islands
is nearing financial insolvency. In mid-1995 the central bank
suspended interest and principal payments on government bonds and
treasury bills held by financial institutions and the general public.
The government so far has taken no steps to restrain expenditure or
address the deficit, which is expected to be considerably higher than
the $20 million forecasted in the 1996 budget.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.5% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 10.4% (1996)

Labor force:
total: 26,842
by occupation: services 41.5%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing
23.7%, commerce, transport, and finance 21.7%, construction,
manufacturing, and mining 13.1% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $147 million
expenditures: $168 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)

Industries: copra, fish (tuna)

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: 20,000 kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 55 million kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh

Agriculture - products: cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice,
potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish

Exports:
total value: $170 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: timber, fish, palm oil, cocoa, copra
partners : Japan 39%, UK 23%, Thailand 9%, Australia 5%, US 2% (1991)

Imports:
total value: $152 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities: plant and machinery, manufactured goods, food and live
animals, fuel
partners: Australia 34%, Japan 16%, Singapore 14%, NZ 9%

Debt - external: $100 million (1995 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $8.625 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.); $3.3
million from NZ (FY95/96)

Currency: 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 3.7900
(November 1996), 3.4059 (1995), 3.2914 (1994), 3.1877 (1993), 2.9281
(1992)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Solomon Islands:Communications

Telephones: 5,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast sta