Solomon Islands (archipelago)

It is an archipelago located between 5 and 11 degrees south. highway, length 1670 km; includes 992 islands (of which 347 are inhabited) , 10 large volcanic and mountainous islands and 4 groups of small islands. The islands are of most volcanic origin, but there are few atolls . From the south-west, the archipelago is washed by the Coral Sea , from the north-east - by the Pacific Ocean . The nearest neighboring archipelago is Vanuatu ( New Hebrides ).

The largest island is Bougainville (9318 km²).

Big islands are mountainous . The highest point is 2715 m above sea level (Mount Balbi on the island of Bougainville) ^[1] . The islands are located in the active seismic zone , earthquakes are frequent here; there are active volcanoes .

Solomon Islands are named after the biblical king Solomon . This is due to the fact that the Spanish navigator A. Mendanya de Neira, who discovered them in 1568 and is considered the first European to set foot on the land of the Solomon Islands, discovered gold from local Aborigines, who, by the way, practice cannibalism , therefore decided to call these islands Solomon , implying thereby the " Golden Land of Solomon ."

Largest islands:

• Buka and Bougainville - politically belong to Papua New Guinea ( Northern Solomon Islands );
• the rest - Choiseul , Malaita , Santa Isabel , San Cristobal , New Georgia , Rennell , Guadalcanal - make up a separate state - Solomon Islands as part of the British Commonwealth of Nations .

The climate is equatorial , hot. Daytime temperatures throughout the year range from +21 ° C in winter to +32 ° C in summer (December-February). From late May to early December is a dry season; It rains, but they are short. From mid-December to mid-May - the wet season, while the temperature and humidity increase (up to 90%). The average annual rainfall reaches 5,000 mm in the south of the island of Guadalcanal. The least rainfall in Honiara is 2154 mm (this is the driest place in the country). Cyclones most often occur in January-April.

The climate is subequatorial , humid. The average annual temperature ranges from 26 to 28 ° C. Precipitation - 2300-2500 mm per year. The rivers are short, but full of water. From May to October, the southeast trade wind operates, from December to March - the northwest equatorial monsoon .

79% of the islands are covered with dense, moist equatorial forests ( palm trees , ficuses , etc.), individual trees are up to 40-50 m high, including large-leaved agatis ( Agathis macrophylla ). Savannahs are found in drier places. There are mangroves and swamps on the sea coasts.

Fauna: rats , bats , crocodiles , lizards, snakes, giant frogs, wild pigeons, parrots, etc. (173 bird species live on the Solomon Islands). Many large butterflies ( Ornithoptera victoriae , Ornithoptera priamus urvillianus ). Dolphins , sharks , green turtles, giant eels, marlin, tuna, barracuda live in coastal waters.

Plant World: More than 4,500 plant species (including 230 orchid species) grow on the Solomon Islands. Evergreen trees are widespread: sumai , hibiscus , American vine, sago palms, nalato .

Of the minerals on the islands there are bauxite , phosphate , copper , gold , silver , nickel . The population is mainly engaged in agriculture , fishing , and logging. Coconut palm , pineapple , cocoa tree, cotton are cultivated . The length of paved roads is 470 km.

The southern part of Rennell Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

The islands were discovered in 1568 by the Spaniards Alvaro Mendanya and Sarmiento de Gamboa .

The population is dominated by Melanesians who speak Austronesian languages (600 thousand), there are Papuans (100 thousand), Polynesians (6 thousand), Micronesians (2 thousand). Few Europeans also live.

• Jack London . The Scary Solomon Islands

• British solomon islands

• Solomon Islands // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
• Handbook "Countries of the world", M., 1989.
• Small Atlas of the World, GUGK, M., 1982.