Solomon Islands
island sovereign state in Oceania
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World Factbook
CIA reference data · 4 sections
Geography
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Climate
tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes
Terrain
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Natural resources
fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
People & Society
Languages
Melanesian pidgin (lingua franca in much of the country), English (official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population), 120 indigenous languages
Religions
Protestant 73.4% (Church of Melanesia 31.9%, South Sea Evangelical 17.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.7%, United Church 10.1%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.5%), Roman Catholic 19.6%, other Christian 2.9%, other 4%, unspecified 0.1% (2009 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independence
7 July 1978 (from the UK)
National holiday
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Legal system
mixed system of English common law and customary law
Economy
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$2.07 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$2,500 (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
2.5% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.9% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate
1.5% (2024 est.)
Exports - partners
China 56%, Australia 11%, Italy 10%, Spain 5%, Netherlands 4% (2023)
Imports - partners
China 42%, Singapore 13%, Australia 13%, Taiwan 5%, Malaysia 5% (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook · public domain (US gov work, 17 USC §105) · fetched 2026-05-06
Summary
Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm[1]. It draws 24,201 Wikipedia views per month (commonwealth realm category, ranking #11 of 24).[2]
Key Facts
- Member of: United Nations[3], Commonwealth of Nations[4], World Trade Organization[5], International Bank for Reconstruction and Development[6], International Development Association[7], International Finance Corporation[8], Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency[9], International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes[10], Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States[11], Alliance of Small Island States[12], Asian Development Bank[13], Interpol[14], Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons[15], UNESCO[16]
- Country: Solomon Islands[17]
- Head of government: Jeremiah Manele[18]
- Continent: Oceania[19], Insular Oceania[20]
- Instance of: island country[21], sovereign state[22], country[23], archipelagic state[24]
- Head of state: Charles III[25]
- Capital: Honiara[26]
- Official language: English[27]
- Currency: Solomon Islands dollar[28]
- Shares border with: Fiji[29], Papua New Guinea[30], Vanuatu[31], Australia[32], France[33]
- Top-level Internet domain: .sb[34]
- Anthem: God Save Our Solomon Islands[35]
- Named after: Solomon[36]
- Contains the administrative territorial entity: Central Province[37], Choiseul Province[38], Guadalcanal Province[39], Honiara[40], Isabel Province[41], Makira-Ulawa Province[42], Malaita Province[43], Western Province[44], Rennell and Bellona Province[45], Temotu Province[46]
- Flag: flag of the Solomon Islands[47]
- Legislative body: National Parliament of Solomon Islands[48]
- Coat of arms: coat of arms of the Solomon Islands[49]
- Part of: Melanesia[50]
- Commons category: Solomon Islands[51]
- Located in time zone: UTC+11:00[52], Pacific/Guadalcanal[53]
- Telephone country code: +677[54]
- Unicode character: 🇸🇧[55]
- Diplomatic relation: Australia[56]
Body
Cultural Significance
Things named for Solomon Islands include Southeast Solomonic[57], a language family[58] and Northwest Solomonic[59], a language family[60].
Why It Matters
Solomon Islands has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[61] It is known by 50 alternative names across languages and contexts.[62]
Entities named for it include Southeast Solomonic[57], a language family[58] and Northwest Solomonic[59], a language family[60].