The New Britain Archipelago between about E., and the Equator and 8° S., is used here to include both New Ireland and the Admiralty islands which are in line with the Solomon islands and also New Britain which loops between New Ireland and New Guinea. The area of New Britain is 9,500 sq.m. ; native population within explored areas (1925) 81,200. New Ireland has an area 3,00o sq.m.; native population (1925) including adjacent islands 38,800. The Admiralty islands have an area of 600 sq.m. All the islands are under Australian mandate. New Britain is crescent shaped and about 30o m. long with a mean breadth of 5o miles. The island is mountainous with several active volcanoes. The highest known peak is the Father (7, Soo ft.)—an active vol cano. New Ireland lies to the north and is also mountainous. It is separated from New Britain by St. George's channel. There are no active volcanoes. The islands have rich tropical vegetation, and New Britain is well watered by streams. The climate is tropical, considerably tempered by oceanic influences. The islands are not thoroughly explored yet and their coastlines were but im perfectly known until the middle of the 18th century. Jacob Lemaire and William C. Schouten sighted New Ireland in 1616, but it was long thought to be a part of the adjacent islands. In 1884 a German Protectorate was declared over the islands and they were known with many other islets as the Bismarck Archi pelago. At the end of the World War they passed from Ger many to be held by Australia under a mandate of the League of Nations. The chief town of New Britain and the seat of govern ment is Rabaul; pop. (non-native) 1,350. It is also an anchorage for ships. The old capital was Kokopo, pop. (non-native) 369. Simpson Harbour in Blanche Bay is important. The chief town and seat of local administration in New Ireland is Kavieng (non natives 356). It is in the extreme north-west of the island, on the north coast of the Nusa harbour. The only other town is Nama tanai (non-natives 148).
Missionary societies are at work throughout the region.
New Britain is not much developed save in the Gazelle peninsula in the north. There are four plantations on the north coast and
six on the south coast. There are a number of plantations in New Ireland around the coast near Kavieng. The chief industry of the group is coconut growing.
The Solomon islands are chiefly elongated islands stretching north-west to south-east, they include Buka (3oo sq.m.), Bougain ville (3,9oo sq.m.), Choiseul (2,26o sq.m.), Malayta (2,400 sq.m.) and San Christoval, with New Georgia and Guadalcanar (2,500 sq.m.) as a subordinate line south-west of Isobel. The total land area is estimated at 17,000 sq.m., while the total population is in excess of 250,000 (1925), of which some 600 are Europeans. Bougainville (1925) had 46,600 native population and Buka (1925) 7,600 native population. There are very numerous outly ing small groups. Ongtong Java (native name Leneneuwa) which has also been called 'Lord Howe islands,' is a coral atoll (meas uring about 35 miles by 18) which carries a number of low sandy islets; it lies considerably northward of the main group, to which it can hardly be said to belong geographically.
The islands of the main chains are well watered though the streams seem to be small; and the coasts afford some good har bours. All the large and some of the smaller islands appear to be composed of ancient volcanic rock, with an incrustation of coral limestone showing here and there along the coast. The mountains generally fall steeply to the sea, and there is little level land. Deep valleys separate the gently rounded ridges of forest-clad moun tains, lofty spurs descend from the interior, and, running down to the sea, terminate in bold rocky headlands, Boo to i,000 feet in height. The small rocky island of Florida, midway between Guadalcanar and Malayta, is remarkable as being bisected by a narrow but navigable channel ; it is also remarkable as having much undulating grass-land interspersed with clumps of trees, between which patches of cultivation give evidence of the richness of the soil. The whole chain of the Solomon islands appears to be rising steadily. Some of the smaller islands are of recent calcareous formation. Barrier and fringing reefs, as well as atolls, occur in the group, but the channels oetween the islands are dangerous chiefly from the strong currents which set through them.