Solomon Islands Island country, southwestern South Pacific Ocean. (Another island group named Solomon Islands, which includes Bougain¬ ville, is part of Papua New Guinea.) The country includes the islands of Guadalcanal, Malaita, San Cristobal, Choiseul, Santa Isabel, and Rennell; the Russell, Florida, Shortland, Santa Cruz, and New Georgia island groups; and small islands and reefs. Area: 10,954 sq mi (28,370 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 471,000. Capitaclass="underline" Honiara. The population is largely Melanesian. Languages: English (official), Pijin (an English-based pidgin), and more than 60 indigenous Melanesian languages. Religions: Christianity (predominantly Protestant; also Roman Catholic); also tradi¬ tional beliefs. Currency: Solomon Islands dollar. The Solomons group comprises numerous volcanic islands arranged in two parallel chains that converge in the southeast. They consist mostly of heavily wooded, moun¬ tainous terrain drained by short, swift-flowing rivers. The climate is tropi¬ cal. The economy is based on agriculture, fishing, and lumbering. Tourism is increasing as cruise ships and visitors to World War II battlefields stop at the islands. The country is a constitutional monarchy with one legislative house; its chief of state is the British monarch represented by the governor- general, and the head of government is the prime minister. The Solomon Islands were probably settled c. 2000 bc by Austronesian people. Visited by the Spanish in 1568, they were subsequently explored and charted by the Dutch, French, and British. They were under British protection from 1893 as the British Solomon Islands. The Japanese invasion of 1942 ignited some of the most bitter fighting in the Pacific during the war, particularly on Guadalcanal. The protectorate became self-governing in 1976 and fully independent in 1978. From 1999 ethnic fighting broke out in the Solomons; New Zealand and Australian armed forces helped restore order.
Solomon's seal Any of about 25 species of herbaceous perennials that make up the genus Polygonatum (lily family), found throughout the North-
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1782 I Solon ► Somali
em Hemisphere. Particularly common in the eastern U.S. and Canada, Solomon’s seals flourish in damp, wooded areas and thickets. They have thick, creeping rhizomes and tall, drooping stems, and they bear clusters of white or greenish-white flowers in the axils of leaves, followed by drooping red berries. Similar plants of the genus Smilacina, known as false Solomon’s seal, bear their flower clusters at the tips of the stems.
Solon \'so-bn\ (b. c. 630—d. c. 560 bc) Athenian statesman, reformer, and poet, known as one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece. He was of noble descent but of moderate means. Though he held the office of archon c. 594, he did not gain full power as a reformer and legislator until some
20 years later. He ended aristocratic rule and permitted participation by all citizens who had achieved a measure of wealth, eliminating any blood¬ line requirement. He replaced Draco’s code with more humane laws, freed citizens enslaved for debt and redeemed their land, encouraged profes¬ sions, and reformed coinage and weights and measures. Despite com¬ plaints from all sides, the people abided by the changes. He apparently left Athens for 10 years on a series of travels; on his return, he warned Athens about his relative Peisistratus, who would become tyrant.
Solow Vs6-16\, Robert M(erton) (b. Aug. 23, 1924, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. economist. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and began teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949. Solow developed a mathematical model that could show the relative con¬ tributions of various factors to sustained national economic growth. He demonstrated that, contrary to traditional economic thinking, the rate of technological progress is more important to growth than capital accumu¬ lation or increases in labour. From the 1960s on, his studies were influ¬ ential in persuading governments to invest in technological research and development. In 1987 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sci¬ ences.
solstice \'sol-stis\ Either of the two moments in the year when the Sun’s apparent path is farthest north or south from Earth’s Equator; also, either of the two points along the ecliptic that the Sun passes through at these times. In the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice occurs on June
21 or 22; the winter solstice on December 21 or 22. In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed. See also equinox.
Solti \'shol-te. Sir Georg orig. Gyorgy Stern Solti (b. Oct. 21, 1912, Budapest, Hung.—d. Sept. 5, 1997, Antibes, France) Hungarian- born British conductor. After making his piano debut at age 12, he stud¬ ied piano with Bela Bartok and composition with Zoltan Kodaly. He was Arturo Toscanini’s assistant at Salzburg (1936-37). In Switzerland when World War II broke out, he returned to piano, winning the 1942 Geneva International Competition. He led the Bavarian State Opera in Munich (1945-52), and then he moved to Frankfurt (1952-61). As director of Covent Garden (1961-71), he made the first complete recording of Rich¬ ard Wagner’s Ring cycle (1958-65), which remains one of the celebrated recordings of all time. Under Solti (1969-91), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra won extraordinary praise and success.
solubility Degree to which a substance dissolves in a solvent to make a solution (usually expressed as grams of solute per litre of solvent). Solu¬ bility of one fluid (liquid or gas) in another may be complete (totally mis¬ cible; e.g., methanol and water) or partial (oil and water dissolve only slightly). In general, “like dissolves like” (e.g., aromatic hydrocarbons dis¬ solve in each other but not in water). Some separation methods (absorption, extraction) rely on differences in solubility, expressed as the distribution coefficient (ratio of a material’s solubilities in two solvents). Generally, solubilities of solids in liquids increase with temperature and those of gases decrease with temperature and increase with pressure. A solution in which no more solute can be dissolved at a given temperature and pressure is said to be saturated (see saturation). See also Joel Hildebrand.
solution In chemistry, a homogeneous mixture of two or more sub¬ stances in relative amounts that can vary continuously up to the limit of solubility (saturation), if any, of one in the other. Most solutions are liq¬ uids, but solutions also can be of GASes or solids —for example, air (com¬ posed primarily of oxygen and nitrogen) or brass (composed chiefly of copper and zinc; see alloy). In solutions comprising a solid dissolved in a liquid, the liquid is the solvent, and the solid is the solute; if both com¬ ponents are liquids, the one present in a smaller amount is usually con¬ sidered the solute. If the saturation point is passed, excess solute separates out. Substances with ionic bonds (e.g., salts) and many with covalent bonds (e.g., acids, bases, alcohols) undergo dissociation into ions on dissolving and are called electrolytes. Their solutions can conduct electricity and have