Visiting the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal. The nation of the Solomon Islands is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Solomon Islands archipelago is part of two distinct terrestrial ecoregions. Most of the islands are part of the Solomon Islands rain forests ecoregion, which also includes the islands of Bougainville and Buka, which are part of Papua New Guinea, these forests have come under pressure from forestry activities. The Santa Cruz Islands are part of the Vanuatu rain forests ecoregion, together with the neighboring archipelago of Vanuatu.

The island sports a rich herpetofauna, but geckos are somewhat less diverse. It supports three species of sea turtles, namely Green Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, and Hawksbill Turtle. The latter two are considered critically endangered species, and the former two are known to nest on Tetepare. The Mangrove Monitor and the snake Candoia carinata are also not rare here; these three scleroglossan "reptiles" are becoming rare in the Solomon Islands. The highly unusual Green Green-blooded Skink can be seen on the beaches.