Solomon Islands Geography:
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 159 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
28,450 sq km
land:
27,540 sq km
water:
910 sq km
Area - comparative:
Slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 0 km
border countries: NA
Coastline:
5,313 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
Tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain:
Mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Natural resources:
Fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Land use:
arable land: 0.64%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 97.36%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
Typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Environment - current issues:
Deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements(not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea |
