In what year did Honiara officially become capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate? Honiara officially became the capital in 1952.
The change transferred the protectorate’s administrative centre from Tulagi, a small island in the Florida Islands, to Honiara on Guadalcanal. Tulagi had served as the colonial capital from the late 19th century, but Honiara offered more space and substantially better infrastructure.
That advantage came from World War II. The United States developed the area around Honiara as a major logistics centre during the Guadalcanal campaign, constructing roads, airfield facilities and other installations. The British administration reused this wartime infrastructure when it moved government operations.
Government buildings opened in Honiara early in 1952, and the capital’s status was formalised that year. The move is sometimes confused with the Solomon Islands’ independence date: Honiara became the protectorate capital in 1952, while the country became independent—with Honiara as its capital—in July 1978.