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Brief history of the country
The Solomon Islands is a country in the South Pacific comprising 6 main islands and over 900 smaller ones northeast of Australia and northwest of Vanuatu. The North Solomon Islands are part of Papua New Guinea.
Melanesians arrived 30,000 years ago followed by Austronesians after 4000 BC. In 1568 Spanish sailors visited but there was sparse European contact with the locals who were reported to be headhunters.
In the 19th century islanders feared blackbirding (kidnapping as labourers for plantations) and in 1883 the UK declared the southern Solomons to be the British Solomon Islands Protectorate to curb this trade. Nearby islands were added, apart from Buka and Bougainville in German New Guinea.
A plantation economy developed. During World War 2 most Europeans evacuated but hidden coastwatchers provided intelligence and the islands saw fierce fighting, notably the Battle of Guadalcanal.
After the war local councils were created and in 1975 the islands were renamed the Solomon Islands. Self-rule was followed by independence in 1978 but since then there has been persistent ethnic tension, in particular between natives of Guadalcanal and settlers from Malaita and also from China.
The state has never been fully unified and the population depends on subsistence farming and fishing.
Oil and gas summary
The Solomons in the southwest Pacific Ocean, consist of nearly 1000 islands including Choiseul, the Shortland Islands, the New Georgia Islands, Santa Isabel, the Russell Islands, the Florida Islands, Malaita, Guadalcanal, Sikaiana, Maramasike, Ulawa, Uki, Makira, Santa Ana, Rennell and Bellona, the Santa Cruz Islands, Tikopia, Anuta, and Fatutaka.
These volcanic Islands are part of an intra-oceanic island arc system extending south to Vanuatu, southwest of the present-day North Fiji basin and northeast of the New Hebrides basin.
The arc lies along the northeastern side of the collision boundary of the Pacific tectonic plate and the Indo-Australian plate. The former has been subducting beneath the latter since the Cretaceous and is still active.
The volcanic islands are rocky and steep with fringing reefs and limited continental shelf so that they dip steeply directly onto oceanic basement. Theys have a mix of origins. The islands of Malaita, Ulawa, and northern Santa Isabel are volcanoes above hotspots in the mantle. The islands of Choiseul and Guadalcanal are the surface expression of a mid- oceanic ridge.
The oblique collision between the Pacific and Australian plates resulted in the formation of complex intra- and back-arc basins. Two stages of arc growth have occurred. The first ran from the Eocene to Early Miocene, the second from the Late Miocene to the present day.
The Solomon Islands have no history of drilling and production and no exploration wells have ever been drilled in any of the islands or in their surrounding waters.
Since the Solomon Islands and their surrounding waters are comprised of young volcanic rocks and fringing reefs onshore, and oceanic crust offshore, Globalshift considers the country to have no oil and gas potential.
However, the islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
Map and National Flag
AUSTRALASIA
Banana flower
Australasia
Capital
Population
Land area (sq kms)
Oil prod (000s b/d)
Gas prod (bcm/yr)
Oil cons (000s b/d)
Gas cons (bcm/yr)
Apia
0.18 mm
2,842
None
None
1.1
None
Government
Solomon Islands is a monarchy with a parliamentary system. The UK monarch is head of state represented by the Governor-General chosen by Parliament for a 5-year term.
The unicameral parliament has 50 members, elected for 4-year terms. The head of government is the Prime Minister, elected by Parliament, who chooses the cabinet.
There is no department of government in Solomon Islands specifically responsible for oil and gas resources.