North Solomon Islands

6°14′40″S 155°23′02″E / 6.24444°S 155.38389°E / -6.24444; 155.38389

Part of a series on the
History of Bougainville
Prehistory (Kilu Cave) German colony (details) Australian mandate Japanese invasion Allied counter-invasion Territory of Papua and New Guinea Republic of the North Solomons Bougainville conflict Autonomous Bougainville Government Independence referendum
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The North Solomon Islands form a geographical area covering the more northerly group of islands in the Solomon Islands archipelago and includes Bougainville and Buka Islands, Choiseul, Santa Isabel, the Shortland Islands and Ontong Java Atoll. In 1885 Germany declared a protectorate over these islands forming the German Solomon Islands Protectorate. With the exception of Bougainville and Buka, these were transferred to the British Solomon Islands Protectorate in 1900. Bougainville and Buka continued under German administration until the outset of World War I, when they were transferred to Australia, and after the war, were formally passed to Australian jurisdiction under a League of Nations mandate.^[1]

Today, what were the North Solomon Islands are split between the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) and the sovereign state of Solomon Islands. The latter gained independence in 1976 and succeeded the British Solomon Islands Protectorate known for decades before 1975 as the British Solomon Islands.