Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands forms part of the continent of Oceania (region), it is classed as an island country and is situated in the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean in Central Oceania (region). There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Australia (plus Oceania) is the smallest continent in the world, it has 14 countries, spans a total area of 9,008,500 km2 and forms 5.9% of the world's landmass. Oceania is a geographical region that includes the continent of Australia. The continent of Australia comprises of mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, New Britain, and numerous small adjacent islands. New Zealand is not located on the continent of Australia. However, Australasia is a region of Oceania that includes New Zealand, Australia and Melanesia. Many of the Pacific island countries are located in subregions of Oceania. The subregions are defined as Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. Solomon Islands is an island country that spreads over a total area of approximately 28,896 km2. It is formed of an archipelago of six main islands and more than 900 smaller islands scattered across an area of more than 28,000 km2 in a subregion of Oceania known as Melanesia.

The following information provides a guideline to the approximate border lengths of Solomon Islands:
Coastline 5,313 km.

The Solomon Islands experience a tropical monsoon climate with only slight temperature variation. The geography of the Solomon Islands is formed of a large archipelago of islands and coral atolls. Most of the islands comprise of rugged mountains and coastal areas. Some of the larger islands are subject to volcanic activity. The lowest point of Solomon Islands is the Pacific Ocean at 0m, and the highest point of elevation is Mount Popomanaseu at 2,335m.

The official language of the Solomon Islands is English, however, more than 60 languages are spoken across the Solomon Islands, and the lingua franca is Pijin. Despite being the official language, only a very low percentage of the population uses English as a first language.

The primary religion of Solomon Islands is Protestant at approximately 73% of the population with the major religions being the Church of Melanesia, followed by South Sea Evangelical, Seventh Day Adventist, and the United Church. Around 19% are Roman Catholic. The rest of the population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be described as materials and substances found naturally occurring on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. The level of natural resources present in an individual country depends on varying factors which are influenced by the geography, climate and location of that country. Some countries, such as Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada, have many natural resources, where as some other countries have limited to none. Three of the primary uses of natural resources are food, transport and construction. The following examples provide information on the everyday uses of natural resources: Fish occurs naturally in many bodies of water and can be caught for food consumption. Crude oils can be refined into various fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests and used to construct houses and furniture. The natural resources found in Solomon Islands include fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, zinc, lead and nickel.

Every country has its own unique culture, history and identity. Flags, symbols, emblems, mottos, songs, anthems and colors are used by countries across the world to represent national pride and identity. These national symbols are formed through the unique history of a nation and are symbolic of both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, songs, mottos and colors reflect the past, present and future hopes of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can include a mixture of things that are symbolic to a country such as animals, birds, flowers, trees, geographical features, tools of agriculture, crops, and tools of war. The following facts depict some of the national symbols, songs and colors that are important to Solomon Islands: