Filed under Oceania and more precisely Melanesia, the Solomon Islands is a sovereign state. Its seat of government is Honiara.
The population is about 819,198, placing it 166th of 250 by population — between Guyana above it and Bhutan below. Among the 5 entries in Melanesia it ranks 2nd by area and 3rd by population.
It covers 28,896 km², which ranks it 145th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Armenia and just ahead of Albania. That makes it a fraction smaller than Belgium.
The Solomon Islands on the map
Plotted on a globe it falls at 8.0° south, 159.0° east, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 891 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Brazil, Peru and Tanzania — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It shares no land border with anyone. That puts it among the 85 entries of 250 here with no land neighbours, a group made up mostly of islands and island groups.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of the Solomon Islands
Density comes out at around 28 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
The demonym is Solomon Islander, so residents are Solomon Islanders.
Officially it is monolingual: English. Another 90 entries list English too — among them American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda and Australia.
Against Oceania as a whole it is the 5th most populous of 27 entries, and it accounts for 6.3% of everyone living in Melanesia.
The practical details for the Solomon Islands
It uses the Solomon Islands dollar ($, SBD). It is issued for the Solomon Islands alone.
The top-level domain is .sb. Calls from overseas start with +677. In ISO terms it is sb in two letters and SLB in three.
Honiara is the city to remember for this country.
The Solomon Islands is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Fun facts about Solomon Islands
- It has no land border with any other country — one of 85 such entries in this dataset.
- Ranked by land area, the Solomon Islands is 145th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- Websites based there use the .sb domain.
- English is official here and in 90 other entries worldwide.
- Its capital city is Honiara.
- Within Melanesia it is the 2nd largest of 5.
Solomon Islands — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of the Solomon Islands?
- The capital of the Solomon Islands is Honiara.
- How big is the Solomon Islands?
- The Solomon Islands covers 28,896 km², ranking 145th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Belgium.
- What is the population of the Solomon Islands?
- The Solomon Islands has a population of about 819,198, which makes it the 166th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Guyana sits just above it and Bhutan just below.
- What currency does the Solomon Islands use?
- The Solomon Islands uses the Solomon Islands dollar, written $ (currency code SBD). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is the Solomon Islands a country?
- Yes. The Solomon Islands is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What language is spoken in the Solomon Islands?
- The official language of the Solomon Islands is English. It is also official in 90 other entries on this list.
- Does the Solomon Islands border any other country?
- No. The Solomon Islands has no land border with any other country, so every route in or out is by sea or air. 85 of the 250 entries on this site are in the same position.
- Where is the Solomon Islands located?
- The Solomon Islands is in Melanesia, part of Oceania. Its reference coordinates are 8.0° south and 159.0° east, roughly 891 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.
