Solomon Islands
- ■ Area: 11,000 sq mi (28,450 sq km) / World Rank: 143
- ■ Location: Southern and Eastern Hemispheres, in the South Pacific region of Oceania, nearly 1,200 mi (1,900 km) northeast of Australia and about 300 mi (485 km) east of Papua New Guinea
- ■ Coordinates: 8°00′S, 159°00′E
- ■ Borders: None
- ■ Coastline: 3,301 mi (5,313 km)
- ■ Territorial Seas: 12 NM
- ■ Highest Point: Mount Makarakomburu, 8,127 ft (2,447 m)
- ■ Lowest Point: Sea level
- ■ Longest Distances: 1,049 mi (1,688 km) ESE-WNW / 291 mi (468 km) NNE-SSW
- ■ Longest River: None of significant length
- ■ Natural Hazards: Earthquakes, volcanoes
- ■ Population: 480,442 (July 2001 est.) / World Rank: 161
- ■ Capital City: Honiara, which is located on the northern coast of Guadalcanal Island.
- ■ Largest City: Honiara, 53,000 (2000 est.)
OVERVIEW
The Solomon Islands is an archipelago comprised a double chain of high continental islands formed from the exposed peaks of a submerged mountain chain. This chain extends from Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea to the northern islands of Vanuatu. The Solomon Islands nation covers the central islands of this chain.
Almost all of the larger islands are volcanic in origin and are covered with steaming jungles and mountain ranges intersected by narrow valleys. Most of the smaller islands are low coral atolls. The Solomon Islands lie on the Transitional Zone along the edge of the Pacific and Australian Tectonic Plates, and earthquakes and volcanic activity are not uncommon.
MOUNTAINS AND HILLS
The five largest islands—Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal, and Malaita—are characterized by heavily forested mountain ranges. The terrain is very rugged, Mount Makarakomburu reaches 8,127 ft (2,447 m) on the southern end of Guadalcanal. Steep, narrow valleys intersect with the mountain ranges.
INLAND WATERWAYS
Short, narrow, and impassable, the rivers of the Solomon Islands are only navigable by canoe. Lagoons and mangrove swamps surround the islands at the coasts.
THE COAST, ISLANDS, AND THE OCEAN
Major Islands
The Solomon Islands nation is part of the archipelago of the same name. The largest island is Guadalcanal, which covers 2,047 sq mi (5,300 sq km). There are five other large islands, all in the western part of the chain: Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Malaita, and San Cristobal. Smaller islands include: Bellona, Duff, Gizo, Kolombangara, Ontong Java, Rennell, Savo, the Shortland Islands, Ranongga, Simbo, Rendova, Vangunu, Nggatoake, Russell, and Vella Lavella. To the east of these islands lie the Santa Cruz Islands part of the chain, which includes Santa Cruz, Nendo, Tikopia, Utupua, Vanikolo, Anuta, Fetaka, Duff, and the Reef Islands. In addition, there are approximately 992 islets, atolls, and reefs in the group.
Oceans and Seas
The Solomon Islands are mostly low-lying atolls that are surrounded by expanses of coral reefs. Unfortunately, much of the coral barrier is dead or dying. The Solomon Sea is southwest of the islands, the Coral Sea directly
| Population Centers – Solomon Islands |
| (2002 POPULATION ESTIMATES) |
| Name | Population |
| Honiara (capital) | 53,000 |
| Gizo | 8,000 |
| SOURCE : Projected from United Nations Statistics Division data. |
| Provinces – Solomon Islands |
| 1992 POPULATION ESTIMATES |
| Name | Population | Area (sq mi) | Area (sq km) | Capital |
| Central | 19,898 | 237 | 615 | Tulagi |
| Guadalcanal | 103,266 | 2,069 | 5,358 | Honiara |
| Isabel | 17,061 | 1,597 | 4,136 | Buala |
| Makira | 26,070 | 1,231 | 3,188 | Kirakira |
| Malaita | 87,258 | 1,631 | 4,225 | Auki |
| Temotu | 16,867 | 346 | 895 | Lata |
| Western | 51,357 | 2,114 | 5,475 | Gizo |
| SOURCE : Statistical Yearbook 1993, Solomon Islands. |
south. To the north and east is the open Pacific Ocean. The Bougainville Strait lies between the northwestern islands of Choiseul, Vella Lavella, and the Shortland Islands, and Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea. The New Georgia Sound and Aola Bay are sheltered areas of between the two lines of islands that make up the archipelago.
CLIMATE AND VEGETATION
Temperature
Because of cooling southeast trade winds off the surrounding seas, the temperatures of the islands are rarely extreme, despite it being tropical. November to March is the hottest period; from April to November it is cooler and drier. Normally, the daytime temperatures range from 77 to 90°F (25 to 32°C), with the nighttime ranging from 38 to 41°F (3 to 5°C).
Rainfall
The northwest monsoon, which brings warmer and wetter weather, lasts from November to March. Cyclones often start in the Coral Sea and the area of the Solomons, but often veer away from the Islands themselves. Annual average rainfall is 120 in (305 cm), and humidity is nearly 80 percent on average.
Grasslands
Guadalcanal Island contains the nation's only grassy plains of any extent, created by the alluvial deposits of the streams there.
Forests and Jungles
Rainforests and woodland cover about nine-tenths of the Solomon Island's area (approximately 6 million acres / 2.4 million ha). Important trees are teak, African and Honduras mahogany, balsa, Queensland maple, silky oak, black bean, and kuari. A significant environmental problem is deforestation, causing a related problem of soil erosion.
HUMAN POPULATION
Of the population (totaling 480,442), more than 90 percent are ethnic Melanesians. In 2001 the population was growing at a rate of 2.98 percent. It has been estimated that 20 percent of the population lives in urban areas, with the overall density (1996) being 39 per sq mi (15 per sq km); these figures vary from island to island. Malaita and Guadalcanal are the most populous islands. The Santa Cruz Islands are particularly sparsely populated.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Known mineral resources in the Solomon Islands include gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, and nickel, but there has been little or no exploitation of them. Fishing is an important commercial activity both for export and for local consumption. Tuna and prawns are the primary fish products harvested. Timber and forest products are another important resource.
FURTHER READINGS
Bennett, Judith A. Wealth of the Solomons: A History of a Pacific Archipelago, 1800–1978. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1987.
Jack-Hinton, Colin. The Search for the Islands of Solomon 1567–1838. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.
Newton Abbot, David and Charles Newton Abbot. The Solomon Islands. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1972.
Solomon Islands: A Travel Survival Kit. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications, 1988.
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
- ■ Area: 11,000 sq mi (28,450 sq km) / World Rank: 143
- ■ Location: Southern and Eastern Hemispheres, in the South Pacific region of Oceania, nearly 1,200 mi (1,900 km) northeast of Australia and about 300 mi (485 km) east of Papua New Guinea
- ■ Coordinates: 8°00′S, 159°00′E
- ■ Borders: None
- ■ Coastline: 3,301 mi (5,313 km)
- ■ Territorial Seas: 12 NM
- ■ Highest Point: Mount Makarakomburu, 8,127 ft (2,447 m)
- ■ Lowest Point: Sea level
- ■ Longest Distances: 1,049 mi (1,688 km) ESE-WNW / 291 mi (468 km) NNE-SSW
- ■ Longest River: None of significant length
- ■ Natural Hazards: Earthquakes, volcanoes
- ■ Population: 480,442 (July 2001 est.) / World Rank: 161
- ■ Capital City: Honiara, which is located on the northern coast of Guadalcanal Island.
- ■ Largest City: Honiara, 53,000 (2000 est.)
OVERVIEW
The Solomon Islands is an archipelago comprised a double chain of high continental islands formed from the exposed peaks of a submerged mountain chain. This chain extends from Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea to the northern islands of Vanuatu. The Solomon Islands nation covers the central islands of this chain.
Almost all of the larger islands are volcanic in origin and are covered with steaming jungles and mountain ranges intersected by narrow valleys. Most of the smaller islands are low coral atolls. The Solomon Islands lie on the Transitional Zone along the edge of the Pacific and Australian Tectonic Plates, and earthquakes and volcanic activity are not uncommon.
MOUNTAINS AND HILLS
The five largest islands—Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal, and Malaita—are characterized by heavily forested mountain ranges. The terrain is very rugged, Mount Makarakomburu reaches 8,127 ft (2,447 m) on the southern end of Guadalcanal. Steep, narrow valleys intersect with the mountain ranges.
INLAND WATERWAYS
Short, narrow, and impassable, the rivers of the Solomon Islands are only navigable by canoe. Lagoons and mangrove swamps surround the islands at the coasts.
THE COAST, ISLANDS, AND THE OCEAN
Major Islands
The Solomon Islands nation is part of the archipelago of the same name. The largest island is Guadalcanal, which covers 2,047 sq mi (5,300 sq km). There are five other large islands, all in the western part of the chain: Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Malaita, and San Cristobal. Smaller islands include: Bellona, Duff, Gizo, Kolombangara, Ontong Java, Rennell, Savo, the Shortland Islands, Ranongga, Simbo, Rendova, Vangunu, Nggatoake, Russell, and Vella Lavella. To the east of these islands lie the Santa Cruz Islands part of the chain, which includes Santa Cruz, Nendo, Tikopia, Utupua, Vanikolo, Anuta, Fetaka, Duff, and the Reef Islands. In addition, there are approximately 992 islets, atolls, and reefs in the group.
Oceans and Seas
The Solomon Islands are mostly low-lying atolls that are surrounded by expanses of coral reefs. Unfortunately, much of the coral barrier is dead or dying. The Solomon Sea is southwest of the islands, the Coral Sea directly
| Population Centers – Solomon Islands |
| (2002 POPULATION ESTIMATES) |
| Name | Population |
| Honiara (capital) | 53,000 |
| Gizo | 8,000 |
| SOURCE : Projected from United Nations Statistics Division data. |
| Provinces – Solomon Islands |
| 1992 POPULATION ESTIMATES |
| Name | Population | Area (sq mi) | Area (sq km) | Capital |
| Central | 19,898 | 237 | 615 | Tulagi |
| Guadalcanal | 103,266 | 2,069 | 5,358 | Honiara |
| Isabel | 17,061 | 1,597 | 4,136 | Buala |
| Makira | 26,070 | 1,231 | 3,188 | Kirakira |
| Malaita | 87,258 | 1,631 | 4,225 | Auki |
| Temotu | 16,867 | 346 | 895 | Lata |
| Western | 51,357 | 2,114 | 5,475 | Gizo |
| SOURCE : Statistical Yearbook 1993, Solomon Islands. |
south. To the north and east is the open Pacific Ocean. The Bougainville Strait lies between the northwestern islands of Choiseul, Vella Lavella, and the Shortland Islands, and Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea. The New Georgia Sound and Aola Bay are sheltered areas of between the two lines of islands that make up the archipelago.
CLIMATE AND VEGETATION
Temperature
Because of cooling southeast trade winds off the surrounding seas, the temperatures of the islands are rarely extreme, despite it being tropical. November to March is the hottest period; from April to November it is cooler and drier. Normally, the daytime temperatures range from 77 to 90°F (25 to 32°C), with the nighttime ranging from 38 to 41°F (3 to 5°C).
Rainfall
The northwest monsoon, which brings warmer and wetter weather, lasts from November to March. Cyclones often start in the Coral Sea and the area of the Solomons, but often veer away from the Islands themselves. Annual average rainfall is 120 in (305 cm), and humidity is nearly 80 percent on average.
Grasslands
Guadalcanal Island contains the nation's only grassy plains of any extent, created by the alluvial deposits of the streams there.
Forests and Jungles
Rainforests and woodland cover about nine-tenths of the Solomon Island's area (approximately 6 million acres / 2.4 million ha). Important trees are teak, African and Honduras mahogany, balsa, Queensland maple, silky oak, black bean, and kuari. A significant environmental problem is deforestation, causing a related problem of soil erosion.
HUMAN POPULATION
Of the population (totaling 480,442), more than 90 percent are ethnic Melanesians. In 2001 the population was growing at a rate of 2.98 percent. It has been estimated that 20 percent of the population lives in urban areas, with the overall density (1996) being 39 per sq mi (15 per sq km); these figures vary from island to island. Malaita and Guadalcanal are the most populous islands. The Santa Cruz Islands are particularly sparsely populated.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Known mineral resources in the Solomon Islands include gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, and nickel, but there has been little or no exploitation of them. Fishing is an important commercial activity both for export and for local consumption. Tuna and prawns are the primary fish products harvested. Timber and forest products are another important resource.
FURTHER READINGS
Bennett, Judith A. Wealth of the Solomons: A History of a Pacific Archipelago, 1800–1978. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1987.
Jack-Hinton, Colin. The Search for the Islands of Solomon 1567–1838. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.
Newton Abbot, David and Charles Newton Abbot. The Solomon Islands. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1972.
Solomon Islands: A Travel Survival Kit. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications, 1988.
