Guadalcanal Province Day – August 1, 2024

History of Guadalcanal Province Day

Guadalcanal Island is the largest island in the country of the Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The Kavo Range, a rocky spine that culminates in Mount Popomanaseu, the country’s highest point, runs through the island with volcanic origins. On the north coast is Honiara, the country’s capital. Fishing, coconuts, lumber, cocoa, oil palms, and fruit dominate the island’s economy; sometimes, alluvial gold and silver are worked.

The name Guadalcanal is given by the Spanish explorer, Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira, who visited the region in 1568. It is also a name for a town in Spain. In 1788, John Shortland explored the sheltered anchorages along the northern coast. Following the arrival of English traders, the British conquered the island and included it in the Solomon Islands Protectorate in 1893. The lengthy Battle of Guadalcanal, fought by Allied and Japanese forces on land and at sea, took place on the island during World War II.

Guadalcanal is notable for its lack of roads along the west coast, making the area mainly inaccessible to outsiders by land, despite the abundance of natural treasures. Guadalcanal is a luxuriant rainforest shrouding the rugged terrain and offers unlimited hiking possibilities across the island to Mataniko Falls, Tenaru Falls, or the Boarare Cascades.