{"id":8655,"date":"2021-09-30T04:00:40","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=8655"},"modified":"2021-09-30T12:41:12","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T19:41:12","slug":"solomon-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/solomon-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"Solomon Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea<\/a> and northwest of Vanuatu<\/a>. It has a land area of 28,400 square kilometers (11,000 sq mi), and a population of 652,858. Its capital, Honiara<\/a>, is located on the island of Guadalcanal<\/a>. The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands (a part of Papua New Guinea), but excludes outlying islands, such as the Santa Cruz Islands and Rennell and Bellona.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Solomon Islands on the Globe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The islands have been settled since at least some time between 30,000 and 28,800 BC, with later waves of migrants, notably the Lapita people, mixing and producing the modern indigenous Solomon Islanders population. In 1568, the Spanish navigator \u00c1lvaro de Menda\u00f1a<\/a> was the first European to visit them, naming them the Islas Salom\u00f3n. Menda\u00f1a returned decades later, in 1595, and another Spanish expedition, led by Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queir\u00f3s<\/a>, visited the Solomons in 1606. Britain defined its area of interest in the Solomon Islands archipelago in June 1893, when Captain Gibson R.N., of HMS Curacoa<\/a>, declared the southern Solomon Islands a British protectorate. During World War II, the Solomon Islands campaign<\/a> (1942\u20131945) saw fierce fighting between the United States, Commonwealth forces and the Empire of Japan<\/a>, including the Battle of Guadalcanal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Honiara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The official name of the then-British administration was changed from the British Solomon Islands Protectorate to the Solomon Islands in 1975, and self-government was achieved the following year. Independence was obtained, and the name changed to just “Solomon Islands” (without the definite article), in 1978. At independence, Solomon Islands became a constitutional monarchy. The Queen of Solomon Islands is Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor-General.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Prehistory:<\/h3>\n

The Solomons were first colonized by people coming from the Bismarck Islands<\/a> and New Guinea<\/a> during the Pleistocene<\/a> era c. 30,000-28,000 BCE. The ethnic identity of these early peoples is unclear.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lapita Pottery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From c. 1200-800 BCE Austronesian<\/a> Lapita<\/a> people began arriving from the Bismarcks with their characteristic ceramics.<\/p>\n

Arrival of Europeans (1568\u20131886):<\/h3>\n

The first European to visit the islands was the Spanish navigator \u00c1lvaro de Menda\u00f1a de Neira<\/a>, sailing from Peru<\/a> in 1568. Landing on Santa Isabel on 7 February, Menda\u00f1a explored several of the other islands including Makira, Guadalcanal and Malaita. Relations with the native Solomon Islanders were initially cordial, though often soured as time went by. As a result, Menda\u00f1a returned to Peru in August 1568. He returned to the Solomons with a larger crew on a second voyage in 1595, aiming to colonize the islands. They landed on Nend\u00f6<\/a> in the Santa Cruz Islands and established a small settlement at Gracioso Bay. However the settlement failed due to poor relations with the native peoples and epidemics of disease amongst the Spanish which caused numerous deaths, with Menda\u00f1a himself dying in October.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00c1lvaro de Menda\u00f1a de Neira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Save for Abel Tasman’s<\/a> sighting of the remote Ontong Java Atoll in 1648, no European sailed to the Solomons again until 1767, when the British explorer Philip Carteret<\/a> sailed by the Santa Cruz Islands, Malaita and, continuing further north, Bougainville and the Bismarck Islands. French explorers also reached the Solomons, with Louis Antoine de Bougainville<\/a> naming Choiseul in 1768 and Jean-Fran\u00e7ois-Marie de Surville<\/a> exploring the islands in 1769.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois-Marie de Surville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the earliest regular foreign visitors to the islands were whaling vessels from Britain, the United States and Australia. They came for food, wood and water from late in the 18th century, establishing a trading relationship with the Solomon Islanders and later taking aboard islanders to serve as crewmen on their ships. Initial attempts at more long-term settlement, such as Benjamin Boyd’s colony on Guadalcanal in 1851, were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

Colonial Period (1886\u20131978):<\/h3>\n

In 1884 Germany<\/a> annexed north-east New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, and in 1886 they extended their rule over the North Solomon Islands,<\/a> covering Bougainville, Buka, Choiseul, Santa Isabel, the Shortlands and Ontong Java atoll. In 1886 Germany and Britain confirmed this arrangement, with Britain gaining a “sphere of influence” over the southern Solomons. Germany paid little attention to the islands, with German authorities based in New Guinea not even visiting the area until 1888. The German presence, along with pressure from the missionaries to rein in the excesses of the blackbirding system, prompted the British to declare a protectorate over the southern Solomons in March 1893, initially encompassing New Georgia, Malaita, Guadalcanal, Makira, Mono Island and the central Nggela Islands.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Solomon Island Warriors (1895)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In April 1896 Charles Morris Woodford<\/a> was appointed as the British Acting Deputy Commissioner and confirmed in post the following year. Woodford set up an administrative headquarters on the small island of Tulagi, and in 1898 and 1899 the Rennell and Bellona Islands, Sikaiana, the Santa Cruz Islands and outlying islands such as Anuta, Fataka, Temotu and Tikopia were added to the protectorate. In 1900, under the terms of the Tripartite Convention of 1899<\/a>, Germany ceded the Northern Solomon to Britain, minus Buka and Bougainville, the latter becoming part of German New Guinea<\/a> despite geographically belonging to the Solomons archipelago.<\/p>\n

World War II:<\/h4>\n

From 1942 until the end of 1943, the Solomon Islands were the scene of several major land, sea and air battles between the Allies and the Japanese Empire’s<\/a> armed forces. In May 1942 the Japanese launched Operation Mo<\/a>, occupying Tulagi<\/a> and most of the western Solomon Islands, including Guadalcanal where they began work on an airstrip. The Allies counter-invaded Guadalcanal<\/a> in August 1942, followed by the New Georgia campaign<\/a> in 1943, both of which were turning points in the Pacific War<\/a>, stopping and then countering the Japanese advance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
American Marines Guadalcanal 1942<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The conflict resulted in thousands of Allied, Japanese and civilian deaths, as well an immense destruction across the islands.<\/p>\n

Post-War Period:<\/h4>\n

In 1943-4 the Malaita-based chief Aliki Nono’ohimae had founded the Maasina Rule<\/a> movement (aka the Native Council Movement, literally ‘Brotherhood Rule’), and was later joined by another chief, Hoasihau. Their aims were to improve the economic well-being of native Solomon Islanders, gain greater autonomy and to act as a liaison between Islanders and the colonial administration. Alarmed at the growth of the movement, the British launched “Operation De-Louse” in 1947-8 and arrested most of the Maasina leaders. Malaitans then organized a campaign of civil disobedience, prompting mass arrests. In the early 1950s the possibility of transferring sovereignty of the islands to Australia was discussed by the British and Australian governments, however the Australians were reluctant to accept the financial burden of administering the territory and the idea was shelved.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sir Peter Kenilorea, 1st Prime Minister of Solomon Islands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With decolonization sweeping the colonial world, and Britain no longer willing (or able) to bear the financial burdens of the Empire, the colonial authorities sought to prepare the Solomons for self-governance. Appointed Executive and Legislative Councils were established in 1960, with a degree of elected Solomon Islander representation introduced in 1964 and then extended in 1967. Full self-government for the territory was achieved in 1976, a year after the independence of neighboring Papua New Guinea from Australia.<\/p>\n

Independence Era (1978-present):<\/h3>\n

Conflict in neighboring Bougainville<\/a>, which broke out in 1988, causing many refugees to flee to the Solomons. Tensions arose with Papua New Guinea as PNG forces frequently entered Solomons territory in the pursuit of rebels. The situation calmed down and relations improved following the end of the conflict in 1998. Meanwhile, the country’s financial situation continued to deteriorate, with much of the budget coming from the logging industry, often conducted at an unsustainable rate. Excessive logging, government corruption and unsustainable levels of public spending continued to grow.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
2003 Peace Rally<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Commonly referred to as the tensions or the ethnic tension, the initial civil unrest was mainly characterized by fighting between the Isatabu Freedom Movement<\/a> (IFM, also known as the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army and the Isatabu Freedom Fighters) and the Malaita Eagle Force<\/a> (as well as the Marau Eagle Force). For many years people from the island of Malaita had been migrating to Honiara and Guadalcanal, attracted primarily by the greater economic opportunities available there. The large influx caused tensions with native Guadalcanal islanders (known as Guales), and in late 1998 the IFM was formed and began a campaign of intimidation and violence towards Malaitan settlers. Thousands of Malaitans subsequently fled back to Malaita or to Honiara, and in mid-1999 the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) was established to protect Malaitans on Guadalcanal. In late 1999, after several failed attempts at brokering a peace deal, Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa’aluthe declared a four-month state of emergency, and also requested assistance from Australia and New Zealand, but his appeal was rejected. Meanwhile, law and order on Guadalcanal collapsed, with an ethnically divided police unable to assert authority and many of their weapons depots being raided by the militias; by this point the MEF controlled Honiara with the IFM controlling the rest of Guadalacanal.<\/p>\n

By early 2001 the economy had collapsed and the government was bankrupt. The prevailing atmosphere of lawlessness, widespread extortion, and ineffective police prompted a formal request by the Solomon Islands Government for outside help, a request was unanimously supported in Parliament.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Australian Troops Burning Militia Weapons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In July 2003, Australian and Pacific Islands police and troops arrived in Solomon Islands under the auspices of the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI)<\/a>.The situation improved dramatically, with violence ending. Some 200 people had been killed in the conflict. Unfortunately, violence resumed and continues.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

Solomon Islands is an island nation that lies east of Papua New Guinea and consists of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands. The major part of the nation is the mountainous High islands of the Solomon Islands archipelago<\/a>, which includes Choiseul<\/a>, the Shortland Islands<\/a>, the New Georgia Islands<\/a>, Santa Isabel<\/a>, the Russell Islands<\/a>, the Florida Islands<\/a>, Tulagi<\/a>, Malaita<\/a>, Maramasike<\/a>, Ulawa<\/a>, Owaraha (Santa Ana)<\/a>, Makira (San Cristobal)<\/a>, and the main island of Guadalcanal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Map of the Solomon Islands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bougainville Island<\/a> is the largest in the archipelago, while it is geographically part of the Solomon Islands archipelago, it is politically an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea<\/a>. The Solomon Islands also includes isolated low-lying coral atolls and high islands including Sikaiana<\/a>, Rennell Island<\/a>, Bellona Island<\/a>, the Santa Cruz Islands<\/a> and the remote, tiny outliers, Tikopia<\/a>, Anuta<\/a>, and Fatutaka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Solomon Islands’ per-capita GDP of $600 ranks it as a lesser developed nation, and more than 75% of its labor force is engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. Only 3.9% of the area of the islands are used for agriculture, and 78.1% are covered by forests.<\/p>\n

Until 1998, when world prices for tropical timber fell steeply, timber was Solomon Islands’ main export product, and, in recent years, Solomon Islands forests were dangerously overexploited. In the wake of the ethnic violence in June 2000, exports of palm oil and gold ceased while exports of timber fell. Other important cash crops and exports include copra, cacao and palm oil.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Solomon Islands Exports Treemap 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1998 gold mining began at Gold Ridge<\/a> on Guadalcanal. Minerals exploration in other areas continued. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. Negotiations are underway that may lead to the eventual reopening of the Gold Ridge mine which was closed after the riots in 2006.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Solomon Airlines connects Honiara to Nadi in Fiji<\/a>, Port Vila<\/a> in Vanuatu and Brisbane<\/a> in Australia<\/a> as well as to more than 20 domestic airports in each province of the country. To promote tourism Solomon Airlines introduced a weekly direct flight connection between Brisbane and Munda<\/a> in 2019. Virgin Australia<\/a> connects Honiara to Brisbane twice a week. Most of the domestic airports are accessible to small planes only as they have short, grass runways.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Solomon Airlines A320<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The road system in Solomon Islands is insufficient and there are no railways.<\/p>\n

Most of the islands can be reached by ferry from Honiara. There is a daily connection from Honiara to Auki via Tulagi by a high speed catamaran.<\/p>\n

Flag of Solomon Islands:<\/h2>\n

The flag of the Solomon Islands consists of a thin yellow diagonal stripe divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner, with a blue upper triangle and green lower triangle, and the canton charged with five white stars. Adopted in 1977 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the protectorate, it has been the flag of the Solomon Islands since 18 November of that year, eight months before the country gained independence. Although the number of provinces has since increased, the number of stars on the flag that originally represented them remained unchanged.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of the Solomon Islands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The design was created by a New Zealander teaching visual arts at the King George VI School, in the eastern part of the capital Honiara. This was in spite of the fact that preference was supposed to be given to local submissions by Solomon Islanders. The stars stood for the country’s provinces and not the Southern Cross, unlike the flags of nearby Australia<\/a>, New Zealand<\/a>, Papua New Guinea<\/a>, and Samoa<\/a>. It was ratified as the new flag of the islands on 18 November 1977, eight months before the country became the final British protectorate to gain independence.<\/p>\n

The colors and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The blue evokes the water, as well as its significance to the country in the form of rivers, rain, and the Pacific Ocean. The green alludes to the land, along with the trees and crops that grow on it. The yellow epitomizes the sun and its rays separating the land and the ocean.<\/p>\n

The five stars are arranged in three offset rows at the canton, in the shape of the letter X. At first, these were meant to symbolize the provinces that the country was subdivided into at the time of independence. Even though new provinces have since been created, the number of stars has remained unchanged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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