What in the World? One Flag, Two Different Sides

I am a landlocked South American country with over 7 million people living within my borders. My national capital, Asunción, sits not very far from the border of northeastern ARGENTINA. Other cities and communities that I have include Bella Vista, Caacupé, Caazapá, Ciudad del Este, Concepción, Encarnación, Filadelfia, Pilar, Rosario, San Pedro, Tacuatí, and Yhú. As the title of this post indicates, my flag has two different sides with a different circular emblem on each side. The seal on the flag’s “front” side includes a golden star and my official name: REPUBLICA DEL ________. The “back” or reverse side of my flag features a lion holding a liberty cap perched atop a pole; above the lion is a red banner inscribed with “PAZ Y JUSTICIA” (PEACE AND JUSTICE). What country am I?
A — ECUADOR
B — MADAGASCAR
C — PARAGUAY
D — SOLOMON ISLANDS























ANSWER
C . . . . . Paraguay

Independence Day Recently Celebrated in the Solomon Islands

People all across the SOLOMON ISLANDS celebrated their country's Independence Day on Tuesday, July 7th. The Solomon Islands achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1978. Happy belated Independence Day!

Solomon Islands Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of the SOLOMON ISLANDS: bauxite, cocoa, coconuts, copra, gold (small amounts), nickel, palm kernels, palm oil, phosphates, potatoes, rice, seafood (especially tuna), timber, tropical fruit, and zinc. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include China (top importer), Italy, Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Switzerland, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Netherlands, Thailand, Togo, Bangladesh, Singapore, Fiji, Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, the United States, Spain, Kiribati, the United Arab Emirates, Nauru, and New Caledonia.

Solomon Islands Endangered Species

The 🍂 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ 🐡 for the SOLOMON ISLANDS in Oceania lists 2 extinct species (Solomons Crested Pigeon and Thick-Billed Ground Dove), 9 critically endangered species, and 29 endangered species. The Solomon Islands' nine critically endangered species are the Beck's Petrel bird, Emperor Rat, Greater Monkey-Faced Bat, Guadalcanal Rat, Hawksbill Turtle, Montane Monkey-Faced Bat, Poncelet's Naked-Tailed Rat, San Cristobal Mountain Rail bird, and Vanikoro Flying Fox. Endangered species include the Bougainville Monkey-Faced Bat, Cusp-Toothed Flying Fox, Fijian Kauri Pine tree, Guadalcanal Moustached Kingfisher bird*, King Rat, Makira Flying Fox, Santa Cruz Ground Dove, Santa Cruze Shrikebill bird, Schneider's Surprise butterfly, and Temotu Flying Fox.

* While there isn't a pattern looking like a mustache directly above these birds' beaks, there is what appears to be one-half of a mustache on each side of the beak!

"Land" Countries

Several countries in Asia, Europe, and Oceania have the word land in their names. I nickname them the "Land Countries," which are listed right here: FINLAND, ICELAND, IRELAND, MARSHALL ISLANDS, The NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, POLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS, SWAZILAND, SWITZERLAND, and THAILAND. Somaliland in northeast Africa is another entity with land in its name. However, it is an autonomous region in SOMALIA fighting for its independence, not a recognized country currently.

Solomon Islands Map

Above is the most recent GeoFact of the Day Blog map creation, made on April 25th.
To discover more about this Pacific Ocean country, visit my Solomon Islands post!

Shortland Islands

An archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean and Solomon Sea, the Shortland Islands are found in the western part of SOLOMON ISLANDS (a country in Oceania). John Shortland, a Royal Navy officer that served for Great Britain centuries ago, discovered the island group and named it in the late 1700s. Shortland Island is the largest island, and other islands include Asie, Ballalae, Benana, Fauro, Illina, Magusaiai, Masamasa, Nielai, Nusakova, Ovau, Piru, and Rohae. Another country, Papua New Guinea, is very close to the Shortland Islands. Papua New Guinea's Bougainville island, which is much larger than the Shortland Islands, is less than 5 miles northwest of the closest island (Ovau). The Treasury Islands, another archipelago in the western Solomon Islands, are located south of the Shortland Islands.

Capital of the Solomon Islands

The capital of the SOLOMON ISLANDS is Honiara. The city is located on the northern shore the island of Guadalcanal, the largest island in the Solomon Islands. By the way, the Solomon Islands are east of Papua New Guinea.

Highest Mountain in the Solomon Islands

Mount Popomanaseu, a 7,644 foot (2330 meter) peak, is located in the SOLOMON ISLANDS. More specifically, it is situated southeast of Solomon Island's capital, Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal. To learn more about the Solomon Islands, visit my Solomon Islands post!

Solomon Islands

SOLOMON ISLANDS is an island country containing around 1000 islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The Solomon Islands are east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu. The capital is Honiara, which is located on the island of Guadalcanal. The currency is the Solomon Islands Dollar; the ISO 4217 currency code is SBD. The country's 50 cent coin is shaped as a dodecagon, while the dollar coin is heptagon-shaped.