A small island state occupies almost the entire archipelago in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, in the east it borders with Papua New Guinea. The capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara, is located in the northern part of the island of Guadalcanal, one of the largest in the archipelago. The small town received official capital status in 1978.
about the country
Solomon Islands is a small island Melanesian state that includes 992 islands. It occupies a large part of the archipelago of the same name (with the exception of the Buka and Bougainville Islands, geographically belonging to the same archipelago, but politically included in Papua New Guinea) and some other groups of islands. One of the countries of Oceania, on the world map is shown in the form of six large islands and several medium (in total there are twenty). The population is 515,870 people. Out of almost a thousand islands, only 347 are inhabited. The capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara, is located on the country's largest island. The official language is English.
In the west and north, the country borders on Papua New Guinea, in the east and southeast with the small island states of Vanuatu and Tuvalu. On the south side are the French overseas territories. All borders are marine.
Currency and flag
The country's national currency is the dollar of the Solomon Islands, which is equal to 100 cents. International designation - SBD. In circulation, banknotes in denominations of 2, 5, 10 and 50 dollars are used, as well as coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 dollar. Some retail locations in the capital accept US and Australian dollars. In the three large banks of Honiara, you can withdraw money from credit cards and exchange travel checks. However, the use of credit cards can sometimes be difficult, especially in small shops and cafes.
The modern flag of the Solomon Islands was adopted in 1977. Designed by New Zealand designer John Hazeldine. The rectangular panel is divided by a yellow stripe running diagonally from the lower left corner. The upper part is blue, the bottom is green. In the upper left corner there are five white stars, according to the number of provinces (at the time of the adoption of the flag).
general information
The capital of the Solomon Islands is located on the northern shore of the island of Guadalcanal. It is washed by the waters of a spacious bay formed by the Lunga Point and Cail Esperance Peninsulas. It is the main seaport of the country. Administratively, Honiara is allocated to an independent metropolitan territory of the state, which has the status of a province. At the same time, it is also the administrative center of the province of Guadalcanal. The territory of the city covers an area of 22 square meters. km
Founded in 1940, in 1978 received the status of the capital after the country acquired the right to self-government. Although the head of state is still the Queen of Great Britain, represented by the Governor General.
Population, language, religion
The population of the capital of the Solomon Islands is approximately 65 thousand people. The population density is 2936.77 people per square. km The city is mainly inhabited by the Melanesians, who are part of the Negroid race as an east equatorial branch. They represent several peoples united in the ethnic group of the Solomon Islands.
Although the state’s official language is English, only a few percent of the population speak it. Most residents of the capital speak the Creole language - the Solomon pidgin, which, in turn, developed from the pidgin bichlamar, an English-based language that served as a means of communication between the members of the European merchant and whaling ships teams and the local population of Oceania. Residents of the capital of the Solomon Islands also use local Melanizian languages in everyday life. Primary school instruction is in pidgin.
Discovery of the territory
The Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendanya de Neira, who called the area around Honiara, Puento Cruz, first plotted on the map of the Solomon Islands. His expedition in the 16th century landed on the island of Guadalcanal, in the territory now occupied by the capital. The island was named after one of the municipalities of Andalusia. For a long time there was a very small village on the site of modern Honiara, which was called Nakho-ni-Ara, which from one of the local Melanisian languages translates as "a place where east and south-east winds meet." For a long time, the inhabitants of Puento Cruz practically did not contact the Europeans. Only occasionally whaling and merchant ships sailed here.
In the 19th century, the islands first belonged to Germany, and then Great Britain. Around the same time, missionaries and recruiters appeared in the area to recruit locals to work on Fiji plantations.
In modern times
In 1941-1943, all the islands of the archipelago were occupied by Japanese troops. After heavy fighting, in December 1943, the Allied forces liberated the Solomon Islands. At that time, an American military base was located on Guadalcanal Island and a Henderson Field military airfield was built, later converted into an international airport. The local population was mobilized into labor groups.
In the postwar years, the archipelago returned under the rule of the British crown. The British built the city of Honiara as the capital of the protectorate. A new country (Solomon Islands) appeared on the world map in 1978, when it was given independence by Great Britain. Honiara then received the status of the capital of the new state. Since 1998, tribal tensions have risen sharply in the island nation, sometimes reaching armed clashes. In 2000, a coup began in the capital, leading to the removal of the prime minister. In 2003, the country had to turn to neighbors (Australia, New Zealand, and some island states of Oceania) for help, who introduced troops and disarmed tribal militants.
International Airport and Transportation
In the countries of Oceania, Henderson Field is known primarily - a commercial airport located 8 km from the capital. It is the only international airport of the Solomon Islands. It uses the runway inherited from the military airfield during the Pacific War (as the military operations of the times of the Second World War were called here).
During the war years, the US Air Force aircraft were based at the airport, playing a decisive role in the battle of Guadalcanal. American fighters repulsed the attacks of Japanese bombers flying to bomb the island. The airport was named after Major Lofton Henderson, commander of the US Marine Corps VMSB-241. The pilot was the first to lead his squadron into the battle at Midway Atoll, in which he died in the ensuing air battle.
Honiara International Airport now serves flights to the islands of the archipelago and neighboring states, including Australia. In addition to the local airline Solomon Airlines, flights are operated by aircraft of other island states.
You can visit the nearby islands of the archipelago by ferry, and the tariffs for travel by sea from the capital of the Solomon Islands are quite inexpensive. However, the movement of ferries and boats is not subject to any schedule.
Inside Honiara there is public transport - minibuses. Traditionally, local drivers place a route map on the windshield. The fare is $ 0.4. However, it is more convenient and faster to travel around the city by taxi, the cost is $ 1.5 per kilometer.
Climatic conditions
Weather conditions are determined by the location of the city on the equatorial island. The climate in Honiara is subequatorial, characterized by high temperatures and humidity. The hot and humid season lasts for three months - from January to April, at which time the northwest monsoons blow here. From April to November, the weather is relatively dry, brought by the southeast trade winds.
The subequatorial climate is characterized by such a sharp change in the absolute and relative humidity, reaching a maximum value in summer. About 2250 mm of precipitation falls annually. Clouds have a maximum value in the summer and a minimum in the winter. During the year, the temperature is almost the same and keeps at about 25 degrees Celsius.
Nature
Guadalcanal Island is located on a volcanic island, partially surrounded by coral reefs. In the city of Honiara, the Manatikau River flows, which flows into the Solomon Sea. Natural vegetation is represented mainly by shrouds (in the driest places) and ever-green tropical forests. Exotic vegetation can be admired in the botanical gardens of the capital of the Solomon Islands. Several hundred species of rare and endemic plants grow in them in a relatively small area under natural conditions.
A diverse fauna is represented by reptiles (these are crocodiles, lizards, snakes, giant frogs) and birds. Among tourists, a giant mollusk research station is popular where you can get acquainted with these rare marine life in a natural habitat.
Marine environment
On the beaches of the capital of the Solomon Islands, you can not only sunbathe under the tropical sun and swim, but also do almost all kinds of active water activities. Particularly popular with locals and tourists is the beach of Bonigi, where you can go surfing, diving, fishing.
The coast near Honiara is great for snorkelling and diving. During the fierce battles for Guadalcanal, many warships were sunk here. They lie quite deeply, but since the water is so clear that many details can be examined without diving particularly deeply.
For fishing, special trips are organized to places rich in fish, many exotic species of marine life are found here. Traditional holidays on the islands are often associated with the sea. One of the most beloved is the Festival of the Western Seas, as part of the holiday canoe races, fishing competitions and other entertainments are held.