SOLOMON ISLANDS Official name: Solomon Islands Location: Pacific International organisations: The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, The Commonwealth of Nations, The Pacific Islands Forum, The United Nations. Borders: None Coastline: Coral Sea, Pacific Ocean Land area: 28,450 Km2 Population: 520,000 Ethnicity: Almost the entire population is of Melanesian stock. There are small Polynesian, European and Chinese minorities. Languages: English is the official language, but most of the population speak a Melanesian pidgin. Religion: Most of the population are Christians, the majority Protestant. Many people follow indigenous cults.

Form of government: Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Solomon Islands is divided into nine provinces and the capital territory.
Capital: Honiara
Constitution: The Constitution of Solomon Islands came into effect on 7 July 1978.
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Solomon Islands. The Queen came to the British throne on 6 February 1952, and has held the title Queen of Solomon Islands since 7 July 1978. The Queen's functions in Solomon Islands are exercised by a Governor-General, appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. Nathaniel Waena took office as Governor-General on 7 July 2004.
Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the Governor-General. The Prime Minister is the leader of the largest party in the legislature and is accountable to it.
Legislature: Solomon Islands has a unicameral legislature, the National Parliament, which has 50 members elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.
Electoral authority: None known
Freedom House rating: Political Rights 3, Civil Liberties 3

Political history

The Solomon Islands were discovered by the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendana in 1568. The islands were undisturbed until 1893 when they were made a British protectorate, mainly to protect the islanders from being abducted to Australians to work in the Queensland sugarcane industry. They were occupied by the Japanese in 1942 and Guadalcanal was the scene of heavy fighting, with U.S. forces evicting the Japanese in 1943. British control was re-established in 1945, and constitutional development began with the creation of a legislative council in 1960. Internal self-government was granted in 1974, and independence followed in 1978.

In the 1990s a long-simmering land dispute broke out on Guadalcanal between the islanders and people from the island of Malaita. The country's fragile economy and infrastructure collapsed into near anarchy and civil war. The resulting crisis led the Solomons government to ask for Australian assistance, and Australian military, police and civilian agencies are now largely in control of the country's administation. Successful elections were nevertheless held in 2001 and the People's Action Party of Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza won the largest number of seats. Solomon Island Alliance for Change is the main opposition party.