Solomon Islands tourist information with details
about travel to and around the islands. Where to stay and what to see is made easier with
insider tips and hand-selected Western Solomon links, by dedicated editors and visitors to
TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.
The Solomon Islands is made up of more than 35 islands
and numerous atolls in the south-western Pacific Ocean.
The Spanish navigator, Álvaro de Mendaña de Neyra, visited the
region in 1568, and gave the Solomon Islands their name.
Two hundred years later, the northern islands were
explored by Louis Antoine de Bougainville. Although geographically speaking, Bougainville
and Buka are part of the Solomon Islands; politically, they are a part of Papua New Guinea.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the Germans controlled the
northern Solomons, while the British declared a protectorate over the central and southern
Solomons.
Bougainville and Buka were transferred to the British in 1900.
The Japanese occupied most of the Solomons during World War II, with
heavy fighting on and around Guadalcanal.
Solomon Islands gained independence from Britain, on July 7th, 1978.
The main islands in The Solomons are: Guadalcanal, New
Georgia, Vella Lavella, Choiseul, Santa Isabel, Malaita, and Makira (formerly San
Cristobal).
Guadalcanal is the largest island; where the capital Honiara is
situated.
Honiara
Weather:
View a graphical weather forecast for the week ahead in Honiara.
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