- Geography of the Solomon Islands
The
Solomon Islands are a wide island nation in the SouthPacific Ocean , that lies east ofPapua New Guinea and consists of many islands:
Choiseul, theShortland Islands , theNew Georgia Islands , Santa Isabel, theRussell Islands , theFlorida Islands ,Malaita ,Guadalcanal ,Sikaiana ,Maramasike ,Ulawa , Uki,Makira (San Cristobal), Santa Ana,Rennell , Bellona and theSanta Cruz Islands . The distance between the most western and most eastern islands is about 1500 km. Especially theSanta Cruz Islands , North ofVanuatu , (of whichTikopia is part) are isolated at more than 200 km from the other islands.Volcano es with varying degrees of activity are situated on some of the larger islands, while many of the smaller islands are simply tinyatoll s covered in sand andpalm tree s.Bougainville is geographically part of the Solomon Islands, but politically
Papua New Guinea .Climate
The climate is
tropical , though temperatures are rarely extreme due to cooling winds blowing off the surrounding seas. Daytime temperatures are normally 25 to 32degrees Celsius (77 to 90 °F), falling about 3 to 5 °C at night. From April to October (the Dry Season), the Southeast trade winds blow, gusting at times up to 30 knots (55 km/h) or more. November to March is the wet season—the northwestmonsoon —typically warmer and wetter. Cyclones arise in the Coral Sea and the area of the Solomon Islands, but they usually veer towardVanuatu andNew Caledonia or down the coast ofAustralia .Geographic coordinates : coord|8|00|S|159|00|E|type:countryMap references: Oceania
Area:
"total:"28,450 km² (10,985 mi²)
"land:"27,540 km² (10,633 mi²)
"water:"910 km² (351 mi²)Area - comparative: Slightly smaller than the U.S. state of
Maryland Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 5,313 km
Maritime claims:
Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
"continental shelf:"200 nm (370.4 km)
"exclusive economic zone:"200 nm (370.4 km)
"territorial sea:"12 nm (22.2 km)Terrain: Mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Elevation extremes:
"lowest point:"Pacific Ocean 0 m
"highest point:"Mount Popomanaseu 2,332 m (7,651 ft) (notMount Makarakomburu )Natural resources:
fish ,forest s,gold ,bauxite ,phosphate s,lead ,zinc ,nickel Land use:
"arable land:"1%
"permanent crops:"1%
"permanent pastures:"1%
"forests and woodland:"88%
"other:"9% (1993 est.)Irrigated land: NA
Natural hazards:
Typhoon s, but they are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors;volcanic activityEnvironment - current issues:
Deforestation ;soil erosion ; much of the surroundingcoral reef s are dead or dyingEnvironment - international agreements:
"party to:"Biodiversity , Climate Change,Desertification ,Environmental Modification ,Law of the Sea ,Marine Dumping ,Marine Life Conservation ,Ozone Layer Protection ,Whaling
"signed, but not ratified:"Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol ee also
*
Islands of the Solomon Islands
*List of mammals of the Solomon Islands
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