The Solomon Islands comprise of an archipelago of several hundred islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean. The Spanish first visited the islands in the mid-sixteenth century. In 1893 the British placed the southern islands under its protection; by the turn of the century the Santa Cruz and Shortland groups of islands had also become part of the protectorate. Independence was gained in 1978. The economy is dependent on agriculture; fish, copra, palm oil, and timber are principal exports. Christianity is the dominant religion and English the official language. However, many other local languages are also widely spoken.
