Solomon Islands

a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, east of New Guinea. The islands are so numerous as to constitute an archipelago. The surface is mountainous and volcanic. The total area of the islands is about 12,500 square miles. About one-third of this area is claimed by Germany; the remainder forms a British protectorate. There are in all about 200,000 natives, noted formerly for cannibalism. There are plantations of cocoa trees, sweet potatoes, bananas, and coffee. The British portion of the islands exports copra, pearl shell, and ivory nuts to the value of possibly $250,000 a year.