The Solomon Islands is a unicameral parlimentry democracy with the British Monarch as Head of State. The local Governor-General, the Monarch's representative, is recommended by the National Parliament. Parliament has 46 members, including 16 Cabinet Ministers, whom elect the Prime Minister. General elections are held every four years. Every Solomon Islander over the age of 18 years is entitled to vote.
International relations are generally uncontroversial.
The Solomon Islanders are members of many international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank and the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone. Population A census of population was conducted in 1999. In 1996, a survey estimated about 4200 villages with about 52,500 households averaging 71 persons per village and 5.6 persons per household. Most of the rural population lives on Guadalcanal and the Western Provinces. There are claims that 80-100 different languages and dialects are spoken in the Solomon Islands.