Solomon Islands
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Flag | Coat of Arms |
Capital | Honiara |
Government | Constitutional Monarchy |
Language | English (official) |
Monarch | Queen Elizabeth II |
Prime minister | Manasseh Sogavare |
Area | 10,965 sq. miles |
Population | 786,543 (2020) |
GDP 2011 | $1.725 billion |
GDP per capita | $3,191 |
Currency | Solomon Islands dollar |
The Solomon Islands are northeast of Australia. Its Melanesian population of half a million people live on some 990 islands.
The island chain was a major focus of fighting in World War II between American and Japanese forces.
In 2020, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) offered the Solomon Islands a $100 billion loan as part of the PRC's Belt and Road initiative. The loan amount is 77 times the Solomon Island's GDP, an amount impossible to ever repay. By 2022 rioting erupted among the populace to expel Chinese nationals and businesses from the Solomon Islands.