(The largest island in the archipelago is Bougainville, but it is politically an autonomous region of the neighbouring country of Papua New Guinea.)

[6] The climate is tropical, though temperatures are rarely extreme due to cooling winds blowing off the surrounding seas.

From April to October (the dry season), the southeast trade winds blow, gusting at times up to 30 knots (56 km/h) or more.

Cyclones arise in the Coral Sea and the area of the Solomon Islands, but they usually veer toward Vanuatu and New Caledonia or down the coast of Australia.

Geographic coordinates: 8°00′S 159°00′E / 8.000°S 159.000°E / -8.000; 159.000 Area: total: 29,000 km2 (11,000 sq mi)[10][11] land: 27,986 km2 (10,805 sq mi) water: 1,014 km2 (392 sq mi) Coastline: 5,313 km Maritime claims: Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200 nmi (230 mi; 370 km) exclusive economic zone: 1,589,477 km2 (613,701 sq mi) (200 nmi) territorial sea:   12 nmi (14 mi; 22 km) Terrain: Mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Popomanaseu 2,332 m (7,651 ft) (not Mount Makarakomburu) Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel Land use: arable land: 0.62% permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: Tropical cyclones, heavy rain, floods, tsunamis; earthquakes; volcanic activity Environment – current issues: Deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying Environment – international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling This is a list of the extreme points of Solomon Islands, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.