Politics and Culture in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is an archipelagic state situated in the south-west Pacific Ocean, approximately 2,000 kms to the northeast of Australia. Its land mass of 28,400 km² extends over nearly 1000 islands comprising nine main island groups. The capital, Honiara, is located on Guadalcanal, the largest island. The population of the Solomon Islands, estimated to be about 599, 500, is predominantly Melanesian (about 95 per cent), although there are also small Polynesian, Micronesian, Chinese and European communities. There are 63 distinct languages in the country, with numerous local dialects. English is the official language, but Solomons Pijin is the lingua Franca for the majority of people.Solomon Islands' first contact with Europeans was in 1568, when the Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña, visited the region. Whaling boats and traders began to visit the archipelago during the nineteenth century, followed closely by Christian missionaries. In 1893, the UK Government established a protectorate over the eastern group of islands, with Germany controlling most of the west.