by Ron N. Sullivan

Created on: January 21, 2009   Last Updated: February 16, 2009

The Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are a constitutional monarchy located in the South Pacific in Melanesia, east of New Guinea. The country is a mountainous archipelago of approximately one thousand islands with low-lying coral atolls. Since 2000 BC people have inhabited these islands whose ethnic population is made up primarily of Melanesian, the balance being Polynesian and Micronesian. With the Solomons ocean-equatorial climate, a variety of beautiful orchids and other tropical flowers thrive and overwhelm the landscape with their vibrant colors and enticing scents. Travelers to these exotic islands can enjoy bush-walking near the town of Honiara, trekking and biking in Guadalcanal, surfing in Makira and around the islands, plus an exciting array of other challenging adventures.

History

Papuan speaking settlers began to arrive in the Solomon Islands around 30,000 BC. Later, settlers like Austronesians and Polynesians, brought with them cultural elements such as the outrigger canoe and ceramics. It was not until 1568 that the first European, Spanish navigator lvaro de Mendaa de Neira, discovered the islands.

Although missionaries began arriving in the mid-nineteenth century, their progress was slow due to what was known as "blackbirding." This recruitment for the sugar plantations in Queensland and Fiji often resulted in extreme brutality to the laborers, leading to reprisals and massacres. In 1893, the United Kingdom declared the southern Solomons a protectorate. This initiated missionaries to once again continue their work in the islands, eventually converting the majority of the populace to Christianity.

During World War II, some of the most intense fighting occurred in the Solomon Islands. Perhaps the most famous battle took place at Guadalcanal; it was an important campaign that allowed the Allies to repulse Japanese expansion. During these years, two islanders, as noted by National Geographic, were the first to find the shipwrecked John F. Kennedy and his crew of the PT-109. The islander's suggestion of using a coconut to write a rescue message to be delivered by dugout canoe was later kept on John F. Kennedy's desk when he became the president of the United States.

Culture

The age-old customs of the Solomon islands have been handed down from one generation to the next to form the country's cultural values. These customs are said to have originated from the ancestral spirits themselves. Today, soccer and netball are popular sports with the islanders.

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