Solomon Islands

I. INTRODUCTION

Solomon Islands (country), constitutional monarchy and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, consisting of about 30 islands and numerous atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, east of New Guinea. The country includes most of the Solomon Islands group, notably Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Malaita, Choiseul, San Cristobal (Makira), and Vella Lavella, as well as Ontong Java (Lord Howe) Atoll, Rennell, and the Santa Cruz Islands. The total area is 27,556 sq km (10,639 sq mi).

II. LAND AND POPULATOIN

Solomon Islands is a mountainous country; the highest peak, Mount Popomanaseu on Guadalcanal, rises to an elevation of 2,331 m (7,648 ft). The mountains are of volcanic origin. The climate of Solomon Islands is hot and humid. The population (2002 estimate) is 494,786. The capital and principal port is Honiara (population, 1990 estimate, 35,288), on Guadalcanal. Melanesians (see Melanesia) make up 93 percent of the population, with a small minority of Polynesians. Solomon Islands has a high birth rate, which has resulted in low literacy rates and a high level of unemployment. English is the official language, although Pidgin is more widely spoken; some 80 local languages are also used.

III. ECONOMY AND GOVERNMENT

The chief products of Solomon Islands are copra, timber, rice, cacao, processed fish, sweet potatoes, plantains, pineapples, and trochus shells (used in making buttons and ornamental objects). Large deposits of bauxite and phosphate rock are found here, and alluvial gold is produced on Guadalcanal. In the early 1990s logging accounted for more than half of Solomon Islands' export earnings. However, forests are being logged at unsustainable levels. In 1994 the government proposed that a logging ban take effect beginning in 1997.

official is a prime minister, who is chosen by and must have the confidence of the nation's popularly elected 38-member unicameral parliament. The British sovereign is the nominal head of state and is represented by a governor-general.

IV. HISTORY

The Solomon Islands were visited and named in 1568 by the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira. The northernmost islands of the group were explored in 1768 by Louis Antoine de Bougainville, for whom the island of Bougainville is named. Germany established control over the northern Solomons in 1885, but in 1900 it transferred these islands, except Bougainville and Buka, to the British, who had declared a protectorate over the central and southern Solomons in 1893. In 1914, at the start of World War I, Australia occupied the remaining German Solomons, and in 1919 the League of Nations granted the area to Australia as a mandate. Most of the Solomons were occupied by Japan during World War II (1939-1945), and heavy fighting occurred in the region, especially on and around Guadalcanal, before the Allies forced the last Japanese to leave the island group in 1945. In 1975 the Australian-administered Solomons became independent as part of Papua New Guinea. The British Solomons gained independence as Solomon Islands on July 7, 1978.

SOLOON ISLANDS (ARCHIPELAGO)

Solomon Islands (archipelago), group of islands and atolls, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, extending 1,448 km (900 mi) between the Bismarck Archipelago on the west and the Santa Cruz Islands on the east. Most of the islands are part of the independent state of Solomon Islands. The remaining islands, including Bougainville and Buka, are part of Papua New Guinea.

ANIAL LIFE

PHALANGER

Phalanger

A phalanger is a small nocturnal marsupial that lives in the trees and bushes of Australia and adjacent countries in the western Pacific Ocean. Also known as the Brushtailed possum, the phalanger eats primarily fruits and leaves, though some species also eat nectar, insects, and, occasionally, small birds.

Phalanger, common name for certain marsupial mammals found in Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania, the Solomon Islands, the Moluccas, and Sulawesi. Phalangers have also been introduced into New Zealand. The family of phalangers contains a number of widely differing species, ranging in length from about 32 to 65 cm (13 to 26 in). All the members of the family have five toes on each foot. Four of these toes have large claws; the innermost toe is opposable and has no claw. Phalangers are nocturnal, arboreal animals that feed chiefly on fruit and leaves. Some species feed also on nectar, insects, and, occasionally, small birds.

The typical phalangers, or cuscuses, have dense, woolly fur and long, prehensile tails. Most of them are large animals, up to 60 cm (up to 24 in) long. They nest in hollow trees and clumps of vegetation. The best-known species is the spotted cuscus, which is chiefly creamy white in color, with spots of chestnut and black on the back, and with gray or reddish-brown legs. The vulpine phalangers are characterized by foxlike faces.

Scientific classification: Phalangers belong to the family Phalangeridae of the order Marsupialia. The spotted cuscus is classified as Spilocuscus maculatus. Vulpine phalangers belong to the genus Trichosurus.

SKINK

Five-Lined Skink

The five-lined skink usually forages for insects during the day and sleeps at night under stones or logs. If caught by a predator, the five-lined skink can escape by shedding its tail, which will grow back later.

Skink, common name for any member of a large family of lizards found worldwide. There are about 100 genera of skinks and more than 1000 species. Most are small to medium-sizedno more than 12 cm (5 in) long, excluding the tailbut some Australasian skinks are about 50 cm (about 19 in) long. Skinks usually have cylindrical bodies, a pointed head, and shiny overlapping scales. Their legs are often well developed for walking and running, although in some burrowing species the limbs are reduced or even absent.

Skinks readily lose their tails to escape predators. They do so without blood loss, and their tails are regrown afterward. Most skinks are terrestrial, foraging by day and taking shelter at night under stones, logs, or other debris. Insects and other arthropods are their chief prey, but the larger skinks also eat fruit, snails, or even nestling rodents and birds. Some skinks lay eggs, and others give birth to live young. Skinks usually produce two to six eggs or young at a time. Some guard their eggs against predators throughout incubation.

Scientific classification: Skinks make up the family Scincidae. Common skinks include the five-lined skink, which is classified as Eumeces fasciatus, and the ground skink, classified as Scincella lateralis. The largest species, the Solomon Islands skink, is classified as Corucia zebrata.

Contributed By:

Harry W. Greene

Kelly R. Zamudio

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