Oceania · The modern island states
Solomon Islands
from 1978
Solomon Islands gained independence from Britain on 7 July 1978, with Sir Peter Kenilorea as first prime minister. A Commonwealth realm under King Charles III, it endured severe ethnic conflict — "the Tensions" (1998–2003) between Guadalcanal and Malaita militants — which prompted the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), deployed 2003–2017, which disarmed militants and restored order.
- Existed
- from 1978
- Shown on the map
- 1979–2024
- Peak area
- 38k km²
- Region
- Oceania
Overview
Solomon Islands gained independence from Britain on 7 July 1978, with Sir Peter Kenilorea as first prime minister. A Commonwealth realm under King Charles III, it endured severe ethnic conflict — "the Tensions" (1998–2003) between Guadalcanal and Malaita militants — which prompted the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), deployed 2003–2017, which disarmed militants and restored order. In 2019 the government switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, and in 2022 signed a security pact with Beijing under PM Manasseh Sogavare, raising regional concerns. After the April 2024 election, Jeremiah Manele (OUR Party) became PM on 2 May 2024.
Fast-moving development (flagged)
Manele was ousted in a no-confidence vote (26–22) on 7 May 2026, and Matthew Wale (Democratic Party) was elected prime minister on 15 May 2026 — the current head of government, with Francis Sade as deputy PM.
Common questions
- What were the Solomon Islands?
- Solomon Islands gained independence from Britain on 7 July 1978, with Sir Peter Kenilorea as first prime minister. A Commonwealth realm under King Charles III, it endured severe ethnic conflict — "the Tensions" (1998–2003) between Guadalcanal and Malaita militants — which prompted the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), deployed 2003–2017, which disarmed militants and restored order.
- When did the Solomon Islands exist?
- The Solomon Islands existed from 1978. On this map they are drawn 1979–2024.
- How large were the Solomon Islands?
- At their greatest extent drawn on this map, the Solomon Islands covered about 38,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives them across the years they are drawn, not necessarily their greatest extent in history.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia article for each polity and its key rulers as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia, museum and UN sources, Pacific news organisations, and the scholarship of Ricklefs, Andaya, Coedès, Carey, Sri Margana and Smith & Smith. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Solomon Islands en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Islands
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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