Why did many of the first island hopping battles in 1942 take place in the solomon islands?

Solomon Islands, Chuuk Lagoon, Angaur in Palau, and other islands were the Pearl Harbor of the Japanese fleet. They were fortified to the teeth. US tried all types of bombing to soften them up or destroy these tiny atolls but to no avail. The only way to flush them out from their bunkers was to land Marines and take them out. Guadacanal in the Solomons Islands is were many Marines died and received numerous honors for their bravery. President Kennedy was lost on a boat here and was later saved by a few islanders. His son and brother would later visited the Solomon islands many years later and met the man who rescued him as he drifted and was stuck on one of the atolls by himself. His Commander thought he was dead and there was nothing they could do.