The Solomon Islands

 

The Salomon Islands is a small atoll of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

It is located in the Northeast of the Chagos Archipelago, between Blenheim Reef and Peros Banhos. The main islands in the group are Île Boddam.

There is a passage into the lagoon, named Baie de Salomon, on the Northern side, between Île Anglaise and Île de la Passe. The Salomon Islands are one of the favorite anchoring spots for itinerant yachtsmen passing through the Chagos. Now uninhabited, the islands are overrun by low jungle between the coconut trees and it is hard to find the traces of the former settlements.

This atoll was settled in the last half of the 18th century by coconut plantation workers from Mauritius (then known as Île de France). Little is known about the condition of the workers who were mostly of African origin. Most probably they lived in conditions close to slavery. The company exploiting the plantation was called the Chagos Agalega Company.

The inhabitants of the Salomon Islands, numbering about 400, were forcefully evicted by the British and resettled in Mauritius.

The individual islets of the atoll are, starting in the North, clockwise:

1. Île de la Passe
2. Île Mapou
3. Île Takamaka
4. Île Fouquet
5. Île Sepulture
6. Île Jacobin
7. Île du Sel
8. Île Poule
9. Île Boddam
10. Île Diable
11. Île Anglaise