Geography
The Solomon Islands consists 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 28 900 km2.
The Solomon Islands were formed by volcanoes and are mountainous. The major islands range from 140 to 190 km long and from 32 to 48 km wide. Each island has a central spine of mountains, a number of which are more than 1 200 meters high. The highest peak, Mount Popomanaseu on Guadalcanal, rises to an elevation of 2 331 m. The land drops sharply to the sea on one side of the islands and gently to a narrow coastal strip on the other. Some of the outlying islands are coral atolls.
The climate of the Solomon Islands is hot and humid. Temperatures range from 21° to 32° C. Rainfall varies from 1 500 to 5 000 mm annually.