Portal:Oceania/Daily article/23
Solomon Islands is a nation in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea and is part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It consists of more than 990 islands, which together cover a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres. The distance between the most western and most eastern islands is about 1500 km.
Volcanoes with varying degrees of activity are situated on some of the larger islands, while many of the smaller islands are simply tiny atolls covered in sand and palm trees. The population is 538,032 (2004 est) and the capital is Honiara.