North Solomon Islands between Bougainville (an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea) and the sovereign state of Solomon Islands, which is the successor state to the British Solomon Islands Protectorate renamed in 1975 prior to achieving independence in 1976. On 17 February 1568, the archipelago was discovered by Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendaña y Neyra, who named its "Islas de Salomon". In April 1885 a German protectorate ("Schutzgebiet") was declared over the northern Solomon Islands: Bougainville, Buka, Choiseul, Santa Isabel and Ontong Java. In 1893 the British declared a protectorate over the southern Solomon Islands of New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Malaita and San Cristobal,
César Gabriel de Choiseul Flèche and of Giry, lord of Chassy. He was made a knight of the order of the Holy Spirit on 1 January 1762. He was made an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences on 15 December 1769. Praslin Island, one of the Seychelles, was named after him. The villages of Choiseul and Praslin in Saint Lucia are also named after him César Gabriel de Choiseul César Gabriel de Choiseul, duc de Praslin (15 August 1712 – 15 November 1785) was a French officer, diplomat and statesman. On 30 April 1732, he married Anne Marie de Champagne de Villaines de