Population: Approximately 455,500.
Languages: Official language English, spoken by about 1 per cent. Otherwise Melanesian pidgin and around 120 indigenous languages.
Ethnicity: Melanesian 93 per cent, Polynesian 4 per cent, Micronesian 1.5, European 0.8, Chinese 0.3
Religion: Christian 96 per cent, traditional beliefs 4 per cent.
History: Discovered by Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana Y Neyra in 1567. By 1900 the entire archipelago transferred to British administration. Occupied by the Japanese during the second World War. In 1976 Solomons became self-governing. Independence followed in 1978.
Politics: Parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth.
