Place details
Place nameSolomon Islands
Other namesSolomons, Salomonen, Îles Salomon, Islas Salomón, Salomão, Ilhas, British Solomon Islands, British Solomon Islands Protectorate, Islas de Solomon, Solomon Islander
Latitude-8
Longitude159
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Shares history with islands of same name; settled by 2000 BC; had lapita culture by 1000 BC; sighted by Spanish 1568; visited by French 1768; settled by missionaries & traders & divided between Britain & Germany 19th cen.; ruled by Australia after WW I; official language is English, though pidgin English is widely spoken.