The Solomon Islands is a nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country contains hundreds of islands spread across miles of ocean. Many different societies developed on the islands, each with its own customs, language, and culture. The capital of the Solomon Islands is Honiara, which is located on the island of Guadalcanal. GeographyThe Solomon Islands are located about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) northeast of Australia. Two of the islands of Papua New Guinea are located just to the northwest of the Solomon Islands and are part of the same chain. The Solomon Islands have a total land area of about 10,954 square miles (28,370 square kilometers). The country consists of more than 900 islands. However, there are eight main islands, which lie in a double chain. The main islands of the western chain are Vella Lavella, Kolombangara, New Georgia, and Guadalcanal. The main islands of the eastern chain are Choiseul, Santa Isabel, and Malaita. The two chains come together at the island of San Cristóbal in the southeast. Guadalcanal is the largest of the Solomon Islands. It has rugged mountains in the south and a plain in the north. In the south of the island is the country's highest peak, Mount Makarakomburu. It rises to a height of 8,028 feet (2,447 meters). The main islands are mountainous and heavily forested. There are many volcanoes, both active and inactive. Some of the small islands consist of a coral reef surrounding a central pool of water. The country's climate is hot, humid, and very rainy. Earthquakes and destructive storms called cyclones are common. Plants and animalsDense tropical rain forests cover almost 90 percent of the land on the islands. Along the coasts, mangroves and coconut trees grow. The islands also support a wide variety of flowering plants, including orchids. More than 200 varieties of orchids are found on the islands. The Solomon Islands contain few large animals. The country's mammals are limited to wild pigs, bats, possums, rats, and mice. In contrast, the islands have a wide variety of birds, butterflies, fish, and reptiles. The nation's birds include parrots and hawks, and the butterflies include the Queen Victoria birdwing. Sharks swim offshore. Crocodiles live in the mangrove swamps and rivers. People and cultureThe Solomon Islands are part of a region in the southwestern Pacific Ocean known as Melanesia. The great majority of the country's people belong to Melanesian ethnic groups. The population also includes a small number of people who are ethnically Polynesian, a group found throughout the eastern Pacific. English is the country's official language, but nearly 70 local languages are also spoken. The different groups communicate using Pijin, a language that combines Melanesian grammar with English vocabulary. About 85 percent of the people are Christian. - The majority of Solomon Islanders live in villages like this one located on the outskirts of the …
The islands of Guadalcanal and Malaita are home to about 40 percent of the population. Most of the people of the Solomon Islands live in small villages. Only about 20 percent of the people live in cities. The country's only large city is Honiara, on Guadalcanal. EconomyThe economy is based mostly on farming, forestry, and fishing. The main crops grown to feed the country's people include sweet potatoes, taro, yams, rice, and fruits. Pigs and cattle are also raised. Palm oil, copra (dried coconut meat), and cocoa are produced for export. The islands' thick forests and the surrounding seas are important resources. Wood products and fish are the country's top exports. In addition, the Solomon Islands have reserves of minerals such as bauxite, phosphates, and gold. Tourism and other services are also important sources of income. HistoryThe Solomon Islands were first settled by at least 2000 BC. Europeans did not visit the islands until 1568. The Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira was the first to travel to the islands. The islands got their name from stories that Mendaña had found the gold mines of the biblical King Solomon there. Mendaña, however, never found any gold. European influenceEuropeans took little interest in the Solomon Islands until the 18th century, when the islands were finally mapped. Soon after, a series of European explorers, whalers, and traders began to pass through the area. British missionaries began arriving in the 1850s. At the end of the 19th century, Europeans took many of the islands' people to work on sugarcane plantations in nearby Australia and Fiji. Between 1870 and 1910, some 30,000 people left to work on the plantations. The workers often faced brutal treatment. British controlBritain and Germany divided the islands between themselves in 1886. Britain took control of the southern islands. In 1899 Germany gave Britain the northern islands as well. During World War II, the Japanese invaded the Solomon Islands. In 1942 U.S. forces began fighting the Japanese on the island of Guadalcanal. For about 15 months, the Solomon Islands were the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific. At the end of the war, the islands returned to British control. IndependenceAn independence movement known as Maasina Rule arose in 1944. Although the movement was quickly crushed, it began a long struggle for self-rule on the islands. The people were given greater control over their country in a series of steps. In 1978 the Solomon Islands were granted full independence from Britain. The Solomon Islands became part of the British Commonwealth, an association of Britain and many of its former dependent states. As an independent nation, the Solomon Islands has faced many challenges, including severe political and economic instability. In addition, ethnic conflict broke out on the island of Guadalcanal in 1998. A group of people native to Guadalcanal tried to force all Malaitan immigrants to move back to the island of Malaita. The two groups signed a peace agreement in 2000. Population (2001 estimate), 480,000. |