The islands range from 140 to 190 kilometres long and from 30 to 50 kilometres wide. Each island has a central spine of mountains. Some of the mountains are more than 1,200 metres high. The land drops sharply to the sea on one side of the island and gently to a narrow coastal strip on the other. Rainfall in the Solomon Islands varies from 150 to 500 centimetres annually.
Japan buys much of the fish and timber exported by the country.
Food, machinery, manufactured goods, and petrol are imported from Australia, Great Britain, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. The country has good shipping services, but it has few roads. Air routes connect the Solomon Islands with Australia and other neighbouring islands. There are three FM radio stations in Honiara. Solomon Telekom relays Australian programmes.