Radio is the most influential type of media in Solomon Islands due to language differences, illiteracy,[149] and the difficulty of receiving television signals in some parts of the country. The Solomon Islands Independence Ceremony on 7 July 1978, The Five Dollar Proof Coin of the Solomon Islands 24 October 1977, Peter Kenilorea went on to win the 1980 Solomon Islands general election, serving as PM until 1981, when he was replaced by Solomon Mamaloni of the People's Alliance Party (PAP) after a no confidence vote. [104] Not only has the improved infrastructure increased the quality of life in Solomon Islands, the services are also operated and developed by the community, thus creating a sense of communal pride and achievement among those previously living in hazardous conditions. [19] In 1788 John Shortland, captaining a supply ship for Britain's new Australian colony at Botany Bay, sighted the Treasury and Shortland Islands. [113] The agriculture on the Solomon Islands is hampered by a very severe lack of agricultural machines.
[140] Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for Solomon Islands as of 2001. Tourism, particularly diving, could become an important service industry for Solomon Islands. It was the first time a prime minister had lost office in this way in Solomon Islands. A team of renewable energy developers working for the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and funded by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), have developed a scheme that allows local communities to access renewable energy, such as solar, water and wind power, without the need to raise substantial sums of cash. The first Prime Minister was Sir Peter Kenilorea of the Solomon Islands United Party (SIUP), with Queen Elizabeth II becoming Queen of Solomon Islands, represented locally by a Governor General. RAMSI has a small military detachment headed by an Australian commander with responsibilities for assisting the police element of RAMSI in internal and external security. The initiative was completed in time to be used in the 2014 general election and was commended. Reducing the number of those living without access to fresh water and sanitation by half was one of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) implemented by the United Nations through Goal 7, to ensure environmental sustainability. RAMSI deployed troops in July to help maintain order. The islanders are reluctant to provide land for nontraditional economic undertakings, and this has resulted in continual disputes over land ownership. However, Sogavare's election was immediately shrouded in controversy because six MPs (thought to be supporters of Boseto) were unable to attend parliament for the crucial vote. The country is mainly mountainous and covered in forests, although it has some extensive plains. Through improved infrastructure, services and resources, the program has also encouraged farmers and other agricultural sectors, through community-driven efforts, to connect them to the market, thus promoting economic growth. Writers from Solomon Islands include the novelists Rexford Orotaloa and John Saunana and the poet Jully Makini. [52] The relatively easy-going, friendly attitude of the Americans also contrasted sharply with the subservience expected by the British colonial rulers, and profoundly changed Solomons Islanders' attitude to the colonial regime. Only 3.9% of the area of the islands are used for agriculture, and 78.1% are covered by forests making the Solomon Islands the 103th ranked country covered by forests worldwide.[110]. [120] The Government hopes to increase the number of tourists up to 30,000 by the end of 2019 and up to 60,000 tourists per year by the end of 2025.[121]. Solomon Islands medals at the Commonwealth Games, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Solomon Islands country profile, Learn more about the Secretariat's elections work, Learn more about the Secretariat's youth work, Learn more about the Secretariat's education work, Learn more about the Secretariat's trade work, Joined Commonwealth: 1978, following independence from Britain, Commonwealth Youth Index: 26 out of 49 countries.
[96] Relations with Papua New Guinea, which had become strained because of an influx of refugees from the Bougainville rebellion and attacks on the northern islands of Solomon Islands by elements pursuing Bougainvillean rebels, have been repaired.
[17][20] Evidence for their presence has been across the Solomon archipelago, as well at the Santa Cruz Islands in the south-east, with different islands being settled at different times. There are human rights concerns and issues in regards to education, water, sanitation, gender equality, and domestic violence. [33] Relations between the islanders and visiting seamen was not always good and sometimes there was bloodshed. Therefore, for these models to be effective, time and commitment is needed to change the cultural perception of domestic violence in Solomon Islands.[145]. Residents can also subscribe to SATSOL, a digital pay TV service, re-transmitting satellite television. Under the scheme, islanders who are unable to pay for solar lanterns in cash may pay instead in kind with crops.[123]. The Solomons were first colonised by people coming from the Bismarck Islands and New Guinea during the Pleistocene era circa 30,000–28,8000 BC, based on archaeological evidence found at at Kilu Cave on Buka Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. [72][69], On 5 June 2000 Ulufa'alu was kidnapped by the MEF who felt that, although he was a Malaitan, he was not doing enough to protect their interests. Solomon Mamaloni, another pre-independence leader, served as prime minister several times in the 1980s and ’90s; resigning from his final term in August 1997 amid allegations of corruption, he was replaced by Bartholomew Ulufa’alu. [107] More than 44 aftershocks with magnitude 5.0 or greater occurred up until 22:00:00 UTC, Wednesday, 4 April 2007. [122] The barter system often replaces money of any kind in remote areas. [104] Rural villages such as Bolava, found in the Western Province of Solomon Islands, have benefited greatly from the program, with the implementation of water tanks and rain catchment and water storage systems. Geographers came to doubt the existence of the group, and it was not until the late 18th century, after further sightings by French and English navigators, that the Solomons were accurately charted. The Santa Cruz Islands are part of the Vanuatu rain forests ecoregion, together with the neighbouring archipelago of Vanuatu. [140] The Department of Education and Human Resource Development efforts and plans to expand educational facilities and increase enrolment. Efforts began to rebuild the heavily damaged country while sporadic violence continued. More than 230 varieties of orchids and other tropical flowers brighten the landscape.