Pacific Ocean - Solomon SeaThe Solomon Sea is a sea located within the western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded on the west by New Guinea, on the north by New Britain, and on the east by the Solomon Islands. With an area of 280,000 square miles (720,000 square km), the sea contains the Louisiade Archipelago, New Georgia, and Guadalcanal Island. It opens to the Coral Sea (south), the Bismarck Sea (northwest), and the open ocean (northeast).
It contains the New Britain Trench which has a depth of 8,940 metres deep. The Solomon Islands are a nation in Melanesia (a region extending from the western side of the East Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia), east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. Together they cover a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres (10,965 sq miles). The capital is Honiara, located on the island of Guadalcanal. On January 2, 1976, the Solomons became self-governing, and independence followed on July 7, 1978, the first post-independence government was elected in August 1980. The Solomon Islands have been inhabited by Melanesian people for at least 30,000 years. The United Kingdom established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the most bitter fighting of World War II occurred in the Solomon Islands campaign of 1942-45, including the Battle of Guadalcanal. Many major battles were fought there during World War II. |
