Founding of Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands became independent from the United Kingdom as a nation of hundreds of islands in the south-west Pacific. The Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana reached them in 1568 and named them in the belief that they were the source of King Solomon's gold. Britain declared a protectorate over the southern islands in 1893. During the Second World War, the island of Guadalcanal was the scene of a long and costly campaign between Japanese and Allied forces from 1942 to 1943. Peter Kenilorea became the first prime minister at independence. From 1998 to 2003 the country suffered an ethnic conflict, mostly between people of Guadalcanal and settlers from Malaita, and a regional assistance mission led by Australia helped to restore order.

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