Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands archipelago is in the Southwest Pacific. Its nearest neighbors are Vanuatu to the Southeast and Papua New Guinea to the west. It is made up of twenty-six main islands, roughly arranged in a double chain formation, together with hundreds of atolls and reef islands, spread out over a sea area of 1,340,000 square kilometers (517,377 square miles). The land is mainly mountainous and includes a number of volcanoes, two of which are active, and totals 28,370 square kilometers (10,954 square miles). Solomon Islands's population numbers approximately 409,000; it is made up of Melanesians (93%); Polynesians (4%); and Micronesians, Europeans, and Chinese (3%).
The first extensive settlement in Solomon Islands occurred ca. 2000 B.C.E. The first recorded European sighting was in 1568. In 1843 the southern islands of the Solomon chain became a British protectorate. Germany laid claim to the northern islands in 1885. This claim was relinquished in 1890, and in 1893 the whole country was declared a British protectorate. In 1960 a Legislative Council was established, followed in 1967 by an Executive Council. A new constitution, which came into force in 1970, replaced these councils with a single Governing Council with elected members. In 1974 this body was replaced by a Council of Ministers and a Legislative Assembly. In 1978 Solomon Islands gained its independence.
(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)In 1998 animosity between rival groups from Guadalcanal and Malaita escalated into armed conflict. Fatalities occurred on both sides, and an estimated 22,000 Malaitans were forcibly expelled from Guadalcanal and repatriated to their home island. The conflict came to a head when the prime minister was placed under house arrest by the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) and eventually forced to resign. In October 2000 the MEF and its rival group, the Isatabu Freedom Movement, signed an agreement with the government of Solomon Islands and the Guadalcanal and Malaita provincial governments to work toward peace. Attempts to encourage the surrender of weapons exercises were only partly successful. In July 2003 the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, consisting of approximately 2,200 army personnel from other countries in the South Pacific, intervened at the request of the government, to help restore law and order. A scaled-down force still remains in the country.
The Independence Constitution of 1978 (UK) established Solomon Islands as a sovereign democratic state. In the same year it became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It has a Westminster-style system of government, including a unicameral legislature, with a member from each of fifty constituencies. Elections are held every four years on the basis of universal adult suffrage.
The British monarch is the head of state, represented by the governor-general. The governor-general acts on the advice of the cabinet. The prime minister is elected from members of parliament. Other ministers are appointed by the governor-general, on the prime minister's recommendation.
The Constitution vests judicial power in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Inferior courts have been established by statute. The Constitution contains a bill or rights, based on the United Nations's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Council of Europe's Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The Constitution provides for the division of the country into Honiara City and a number of provinces for the purpose of local government, which is limited to a list of matters specified by legislation.
The current government is committed to a program of constitutional, legislative, political, and structural reform, including the introduction of a "homegrown" federal system of government.
Federalism.
Bibliography
Corrin Care, Jennifer, Teresa Newton, and Donald Paterson. Introduction to South Pacific Law, chapter 5. London: Cavendish, 1999.
International Business Publications. Solomon Islands Foreign Policy and Government Guide. Washington, DC: International Business Publications USA, 2004.
Ministry of Commerce. <http://www.commerce.gov.sb� 3E;.
Nonggor, John. "Solomon Islands." In South Pacific Island Legal Systems, ed. Michael Ntumy. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1993.
This is the complete article, containing 637 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
