Category: Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands are located in Oceania comprises of about 1,000 islands and the capital is Honiara. Solomon Islands are the member of Commonwealth Nations. The first inhabitants of the islands are supposed to be Melanesian people around several thousands of years back. In 1568, the islands were discovered by the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendana and the islands were named as Islas Salomon. In 1893, United Kingdom became the protectorate of the islands. Solomon Islands established self-government in the year 1976 and the islands got independence from United Kingdom in 1978.

Solomon Islands are following constitutional monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the State represented by Governor General. Prime Minister is the head of the government. Both Governor General and Prime Minister elected by the Parliament. The parliament is unicameral with 50 members and the country has no strong political parties. Because of this reason, the parliamentary coalitions are highly unstable resulting in frequent changes of government leadership. Solomon Islands are a less developed nation and 75% of the work force depends on fishing and subsistence. Tourism is a major service industry of Solomon Islands, but the growth of tourism is hampered due to the limitations in transportation and improper infrastructure.

The total population of Solomon Islands is 523,000 and 94.5% of the people is Melanesian and other major ethnic groups are Micronesian and Polynesian. There are 70 living languages in the country and English is the official language of the islands. The lingua franca of the Solomon Islands is Pijin. Other languages are Melanesian and Polynesian. Majority of the islanders are Christians and other religious practices are Islam and indigenous religions. Solomon Islands have a wide variety of tourist destination both cultural and natural such as beaches, coral reefs, sea life and museums.

Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands has the ruins of World War II and the war memorials of Japanese and US. Savo is an island with active volcano with secluded beaches as well as picnic spots for surfing and swimming. In Dolphin Island, you can swim with the dolphins. The cultural center and National Museum in Honiara are the must see tourist attractions. The museum displays the ancient culture of the islands. You can find body ornaments of native people, dance forms, weapons, archeology and currency. World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO can be seen in Renell and Bellona.

There are more than 900 islands with volcanoes and the combination of rainforests and volcanoes is the major attraction of Solomon Islands. Several diving sites are offered by the Solomon Island and the diving site near New Georgia and Gizo are famous. Munda is one among the best diving sites situated on Rovinana Lagoon. Another place suitable for diving is Uepi Island. You can visit the beautiful villages of the island such as Laulasi and Alite to enjoy sightseeing. Enjoy the marine life of the islands through cruising and swimming activities. Climbing and bushwalking are the other activities that can be enjoyed by the tourists in the islands.