The Solomon Islands, a nation of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific, has many WWII-era sites. Guadalcanal, a province and one of the archipelago’s largest islands, honors fallen Allied soldiers at its U.S. War Memorial. Guadalcanal is also home to the nation’s capital, Honiara, whose bustling Central Market showcases the islands’ produce and traditional handicrafts.
Languages: Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the Population); 120 indigenous languages
Ethnic Groups: Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2%
Belief Systems: Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2%
Demographics:
Population: 595210 people (World Rank: 169th) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 55.1 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 197th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: 2.53 %/yr (World Rank: 34th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 67.7 years (World Rank: 167th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 19.5 years (World Rank: 155th) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Solomon Islands
Worldatlas.com
Solomon Islands
World Factbook
Solomon Islands - General Information
Encyclopedia.com
Travel Info for Solomon Islands
Travelnotes.org
Embassy of the Solomon Islands
in Washington D.C.
Government of the Solomon Islands Web Sites
by Gunnar Anzinger
