The tropical city of Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands, a country made up of small islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Honiara is located at the mouth of Mataniko River on the northern coast of Guadalcanal Island, the largest of the Solomon Islands.
Notable sites in Honiara include the cultural museum and the hilltop Holy Cross Cathedral. Honiara also has a number of institutions of higher education, including a teacher's college and a technical institute. Just outside the city is Henderson Airfield, the country's international airport.
There is little commercial activity in the Solomon Islands, as most of the population engages in farming and fishing. Honiara, however, is the center of what business activity does exist. A port city, it is home to numerous businesses that prepare and ship the country's goods for sale around the world. These goods include timber, fish, palm oil, and coconut products. Honiara is also the site of a large central market. Tourism in Honiara grew in the late 20th century, but it is still a relatively small industry.
While the history of the Solomon Islands dates back thousands of years, Honiara is not nearly as old. Prior to World War II the city did not exist. It developed around the site of a military headquarters on Guadalcanal. Some of the fiercest fighting between U.S. and Japanese forces took place there from 1942 to 1943. In 1952 Honiara officially replaced Tulagi as the capital of the Solomon Islands. Population (2000 estimate), 50,100.
