Republic of Moltok Islands
Introduction Moltok Islands
Background:
Moltok Islands has been independent since 1981. Till 1899, it was the colony in Spain and was the colony in Germany till 1919. Till 1945, it was under Japan's rule and after World War II was the trust territory of the United Nations. The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native micronesian control of Moltok Islands, led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that micronesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1998 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 2001 resulted in a government led by an Moltok-republican, but a civilian-led coup in May 2003 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2004 provided Moltok Islands with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Alexander YABAPAI.
Geography
Location:
Southeast Asia, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-threes of the way from Hawaii to Philippines.
Geographic coordinates:
7 00 N, 143 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 20,250 sq km
land: 20,250 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Hampsire
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,144 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added
Climate:
tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mt. Ablavo 921 m
Natural resources:
timber, fish, copper, nickel
Land use:
arable land: 15.01%
permanent crops: 8.22%
other: 76.77% (2005)
Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
cyclonic storms can occur from Octorber to January
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
includes 46 islands; approximately 8 are inhabited
People
Population:
680,022 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.1%
15-64 years: 64.6%
65 years and over: 4.3% (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.6 years
male: 24.1 years
female: 25 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.4% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
22.55 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
5.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.82 years
male: 67.32 years
female: 72.45 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.73 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Moltokian(s)
adjective: Moltokian
Ethnic groups:
Moltokian 78% (predominantly Micronesian with a Malaysian admixture), Indian 11%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 11% (1998 est.)
Religions:
Christian 76% (Methodist 55%, Roman Catholic 21%), Hindu 10%, Muslim 12%, other 2%
note: Moltokians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority
Languages:
English (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.9% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Moltok Islands
conventional short form: Moltok
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Agasia (Isl. Snelon)
Administrative divisions:
3 divisions
Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 August
Constitution:
enacted on 01 Dec 1984 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 31 May 1985
Legal system:
based on British system
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Wosam JONGHA (since 27 May 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Alexander YABAPAI (since 10 August 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament
elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term; prime minister appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: Wosam JONGHA elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Moltokians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Moltok, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 25 August through 1 September and 19 September 2001 (next to be held 6-13 May 2006)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - MPP 38.8%, RPP 21.1%, independent party 40.1%
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Moltok Peace Party or MPP [Ninau MOLAGA]; Republic Party or RPP [Kensho KOZASA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mark GILONDE
chancery: 1X7X Webster Ave. SE, Suite 102, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 3XX-XXX5
FAX: [1] (202) 3XX-1XXX
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Omar W. LARLIND
embassy: 3 Canclae St., Agasia
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Agasia
telephone: [60X] 3XX-1XX0
FAX: [60X] 3XX-1XX2
Flag description:
The national flag has the blue triangular portion which has arranged one white star in the center in left side, and right side is divided into an orange, yellow, and an orange. A right side triangular portion is a night sky. Left side means the dawn in a sea surface. This flag expresses the natural beauty of this country.
Economy
Economy - overview:
Moltok, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large subsistence sector. Copper exports, remittances from Moltokians working abroad, and a growing tourist industry - with 20,000 to 30,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Moltok's copper has special access to Asia and Oceanian markets. Copper processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but is not efficient. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. Yet, because of a tourist boom, short-run economic prospects are good, provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous Moltokians. Overseas remittances from Moltokian's working in Singapore and United Arab have increased significantly.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.584 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$964 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.6%
industry: 61.4%
services: 22% (2001 est.)
Labor force:
137,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 70%
industry and services: 30% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.6% (1999)
Population below poverty line:
25.5% (1990-91)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.6% (2002 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $427.9 million
expenditures: $531.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish
Industries:
tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, copper, nickel, lumber, small cottage industries
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
504.1 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption:
498.4 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
N/A bbl/day
Oil - imports:
N/A bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:
$717 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, copper, nickel, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil
Exports - partners:
Australia 23.5%, Japan 18.6%, Taiwan 12.3%, Singapore 10.3%, (2004)
Imports:
$835 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Australia 25.9%, Japan 23.1%, Singapore 21.1% (2004)
Debt - external:
$188.1 million (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$40.3 million (1995)
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Exchange rates:
N/A
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:
26,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
17,900 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center
domestic: NA
international: country code - 6XX; access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; 2 satellite earth stations - 2 INMARSAT (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 8, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
N/A
Internet country code:
.M@
Internet hosts:
186 (2005)
Internet users:
17,000 (2004)
Transportation
Airports:
9 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2005)
Railways:
total: 146 km
narrow gauge: 115 km 1.067-m gauge
note: belongs to the government-owned Moltok Coppermine Company; used to copper and nickel ore, and passengers. (2003)
narrow gauge: 31 km 0.762-m gauge
note: belongs to the government-owned Moltok Coppermine Company; used to copper and nickel ore only. (2003)
Roadways:
total: 640 km
paved: 282 km
unpaved: 358 km (1999)
Waterways:
N/A
Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,867 GRT/8,432 DWT
by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Singapore 1) (2005)
Ports and terminals:
Susuloki, Kerenada, Ouasy, Manitok
Military
Military branches:
Republic of Moltok Military Forces (RMMF): Land Forces, Coast guard Division (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for selected voluntary military service (2001)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$25 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.% (FY02)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 25 May, 2006
