Population: 538,032 (July 2005 est.)

Capital: Honiara

Languages: Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population 120 indigenous languages

Religions: 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)

Government: parliamentary democracy

Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Geography: strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea

Ethnic groups: Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)

Economy: The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their 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 has enabled a return to law and order, a new period of economic stability, and modest growth as the economy rebuilds.

GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.)

GDP real growth: 5.8% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Internet country code: .sb

Dial code: +677