Solomon Islands

Population: 523,000 (est.)

Language(s): English

Capital: Honiara

Interesting Facts:

• The Solomon Islands dollar is the official currency of the Solomon Islands.
• The religion of Solomon Islands is about 92% Christian with the Anglican Church of Melanesia 35% and Roman Catholicism 19% having the most adherents.
• During the Second World War, the Solomon Islands campaign (1942–1945) saw fierce fighting between the United States and the Empire of Japan, such as in the Battle of Guadalcanal.
• The Solomon Islands’ per-capita GDP of $600 ranks it as a lesser developed nation, and more than 75% of its labour force is engaged in subsistence and fishing.
• The islands’ ocean-equatorial climate is extremely humid throughout the year, with a mean temperature of 26.5 °C (79.7 °F) and few extremes of temperature or weather. June through August is the cooler period.
• There are nearly one thousand islands that form a part of Solomon Islands.
• The Solomon Islands became an independent island-country on 7th July 1978.
• The world’s largest salt water lagoon – Marovo Lagoon, is situated in New Georgia, Solomon Islands.
• East Rennell of Solomon Islands is the largest raised coral atoll in the world.

The Solomon Islands are a collection of nearly one thousand islands in Oceania that form a sovereign country. They lie to the east of Papua New Guinea in Melanesia and cover a land area of 28,400 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). The country’s capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal.

The islands have been inhabited for thousands of years. In 1568, the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to visit them, naming them the Islas Salomón. By 1893, the United Kingdom had established a protectorate over what was now known as “the Solomon Islands”.

Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Today, the Solomon Islands is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of the Solomon Islands, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state. Gordon Lilo Darcy is the eleventh and current Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands.

Source: Wikipedia

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