Solomon Islands Overview
The Solomon Islands is a sovereign country made up of several islands in Oceania to the east of Papua New Guinea, not to be confused to with Solomon Islands archipelago, a collection of Melanesian islands that includes the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island. The capital and largest city is Honiara, with a population estimated at 67,000. There are no other cities with a population of more than 10,000.
Solomon Islands Demographics
Most people in the Solomon Islands are ethnically Melanesian (94.5%). Other large ethnic groups include Polynesian (3%) and Micronesian (1.2%), with a few thousand ethnic Chinese in the country. There are 70 living languages in the Solomon Islands with Melanesian languages spoken mostly on the central islands. While English is the official language, just 1-2% of the population speaks English.
Interestingly, 10% of people in the Solomon Islands have blond hair, but it is not the result of intermarriage with Europeans. This is a native trait.
92% of the population is Christian, with major denominations including the Anglican Church of Melanesia (35%), Roman Catholic (19%), South Seas Evangelical Church (17%), United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (11%), and Seventh-day Adventist (10%). The rest of the population adheres to Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Baha’i faith, and aboriginal beliefs.