Capital: Honiara
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western

Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Constitution: 7 July 1978

Legal system: common law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir George LEPPING (since 27 June 1989, previously acted as governor general since 7 July 1988)
head of government: Prime Minister Francis Billy HILLY (since June 1993); Deputy Prime Minister Francis SAEMALA (since June 1993)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister from members of parliament

Legislative branch: unicameral
National Parliament: elections last held NA May 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) National Unity Group 21, PAP 8, National Action Party 6, LP 4, UP 3, Christian Fellowship 2, NFP 1, independents 2

Judicial branch: High Court

Political parties and leaders: People's Alliance Party (PAP); United Party (UP), leader NA; Solomon Islands Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew ULUFA'ALU; Nationalist Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew NORI; Labor Party (LP), Joses TUHANUKU; National Action Party, leader NA; Christian Fellowship, leader NA; National Unity Group, Solomon MAMALONI
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: (vacant); ambassador traditionally resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands)
US diplomatic representation: embassy closed July 1993; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands

Flag: divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green

NOTE: The information regarding Solomon Islands on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Solomon Islands Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Solomon Islands Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.